INTERACTIVE TOYS. Interactive toys will utilize wireless communication
technology to better interact with other toys and to
update software programs. Wireless updates will allow toys to
keep current with a player’s abilities or interests while increasing
the useful life of the device. Interactive toys have motors,
sensors, and infrared messaging and speech recognition technologies
that respond to communication signals and originate
messages. The responses may be in the form of mechanical
action or an audio message.
Interactive toys have been available for many years. Some
of the first interactive toys responded to signals that were sent via a television channel. These toys responded to colors
or patterns within the television signal.
Interactive technologies, specifically the user interface, are
constantly improving. With wireless connectivity for example,
interactive toys such as virtual pets with artificial lives, will
become more “alive” thus offering simultaneous physical, verbal,
and PC-like interaction virtually anywhere.