Design and Implementation of a Heterogeneous, Power Efficient Wireless Sensor Network for Smart Toys

Toys play a vitally important role in the lives of children, with critical roles relating to social development, education and entertainment. In this paper, a platform for interactive toys using ultra low power Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technologies is proposed and developed. These are implemented through the integration of WSN technology into a number of off the shelf micro-robotic toys. The heterogeneous network devices react together, controlled by an external environmental interface realized through the addition of a wireless microphone node acting as a network coordinator. This creates an engaging, interactive concert scenario which responds to music with synchronized dancing and light displays. The proposed WSN interface improves the versatility and application range of intelligent toys at a very low cost and low power overhead. This work represents a first step in the development of intelligent interfaces for enhanced interaction with toys for children. Experimental results show the low power features of the solution and the possibility of providing long lasting real world application scenarios, including potential application of an ultra-low power wake up radio. Keywords—Intelligent Environments; Low Power; Smart Toys; Wireless Sensor Networks; Smart Homes;