Little Joey

October 12, 2014

Here are some images of the updates we have made and put together, enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 2, 2014

Justin and Nimra spent the summer looking more into the detailed design of this project. They concluded the summer with having a skeleton of the Rocking Chair and the basic electronics finished. They had also gotten accepted into the Biomedical Engineering Societies annual conference for exhibition of the Little Joey which will take place in San Antonio Texas. Here are some images on their progress.

 

 Circuit Testing (click video)

 

April 2014

Toys are what every child looks forward to receiving during birthdays, holidays, or even any day of the week.  Parents are always looking for toys for their children that are nowadays not only enjoyable, but will help with their development no matter what their age may be. Toys have also been proven to being vital in children’s cognitive abilities emerging, which is why many toys are being integrated into schools and other assistive facilities [1].  Although what most do not realize is the urgency and need for personalized toys for those children who need a bit of extra help with their development.  Last year Toys-R-Us reported total net sales at the end of their fiscal year of 5.8 billion dollars [2]. Although the company does offer toys for those children with special needs, these toys are just modifications for other toys on the market with an increased retail cost.  If a parent were to visit a special needs website for a personalized toy for their child, they could be expecting to spend anywhere between $100-$7000 or more than that they can get from a retailer down the street.  The need for personalized toys for children with special needs has not been explored enough where parents now have to seek private companies in an attempt to help further their child’s quality of life.

For a parent, they want a toy that is enjoyable for their child as well as something that can later help with their natural development.  In an effort to closing this gap, our group has taken on two clients, a mother and her child who has neurological disabilities.  She has been unable to find such a toy which will help with his motor skills, ocular stimuli, and still being enjoyable all at the same time.  We plan to create something for her that is easy for use, and something for her child that will potentially reinforce the skills he is taught in his motor skills and vision therapy.

“The Little Joey” 

The group had decided to name our project The Little Joey. We took the idea from kangaroos and how mothers will keep their children inside their pouches until they have finally outgrown them.  We  wanted to use this same concept and intend for our designs to help children move out of their comfort zones and to take their own  steps in their learning or even playing behaviors, similar to the baby kangaroo.