T oys become obsolete quickly Children’s rapid intellectual development forces parents to spend...

• Toys become obsolete quickly– Children’s rapid intellectual

development forces parents to spend lots of money to buy more sophisticated toys

• Parents are busy– Don’t want to repeatedly tinker with

child’s toys– Buying and replacing batteries is

expensive• “Interactive” toys are

superficially interactive–Most simply repeat themselves and

can’t be upgraded

The Problem

Grows with your childDelivers more intellectualcontent to older children

Knows your childName, age, likes, dislikes, personal history

Interacts with its environmentRecognizes nearby objects

The SolutionNo alkaline batteriesWirelessly recharges itsinternal battery

Automatic content updates“Set it and forget it” - like an automatic podcast download

Responds to voice commandsNo need for bulky buttons or switches

TeeGee - a fully interactive stuffed animal

• Company Server– Hosts full collection of songs, games, stories, etc.

• Customer’s Computer– Automatically downloads appropriate content from

TeeGee Server• TeeGee’s Bed

– Sends content wirelessly to TeeGee via Bluetooth– Recharges TeeGee’s battery via wireless induction

charging• TeeGee

– Responds to voice commands– Bluetooth card to receive new stories, games, etc.– RFID reader to recognize nearby TeeGee accessories

• TeeGee Accessories– Contain a unique RFID tag so TeeGee knows what the

accessory is and can deliver customized content

How TeeGee Works

• “Tommy”– Age 2– Fear of upcoming doctor appointment

(story)– Football RFID accessory

• “Glenda”– Age 10– Likes learning about American History

(trivia game)– Sunglasses RFID accessory

Demo

http://www.teegee.com

• KBOC board (KwikByte) $115

• Mini RFID Tag Reader (RedBee) $70

• Wireless induction battery and charging mat $70• Microphone and Speaker (RadioShack)

$10• Custom built motorized eyes and mouth $15• Bluetooth transmitter for bed $5

Prototype Hardware

• Google Android 2.2 Operating System– Handles audio input, output, Bluetooth

file transmission, power/battery management

– Responsible for running TeeGee’s logic• Sphinx4 – Speech recognizer– Open source speech recognizer from

Carnegie Mellon– Lightweight, portable, and reliable

Software

• Children’s toy market is huge– $80 Billion worldwide (2009)– $23 Billion in USA (2009)– $18 Billion in USA for age 15 and under

(2009)• The market is growing– 3.6% increase over 2008, despite

economic recession

The Market

From the NPD Group’s “2009 Toy Markets in the World Summary Charts”

• Java / Android Developer• Web Portal Developer• Logistics–May through August– 40 hours / week–Working in Darden Business Incubator– Paid (Monthly Stipend)

Internship Positions

• Create hardware prototype–With RFID and Bluetooth capabilities

• Create functional web portal– Account creation (login/logout)– TeeGee customization

• Create functional TeeGee Android Application– RFID accessory recognition– Speech recognition– Customized content delivery

Summer Goals

• Government SBIR Grant• Angel Investment• Create more dynamic content• Look for strategic partners

Future Goals

Questions?