Peluchi : product development of a programmable robotic toy to stimulate interest in the fields of science and technology amongst young girls

Abstract

Statistically speaking, science, technology, and engineering are male dominated fields. Peluchi is a second-generation prototype of a programmable robotic toy targeted towards young girls in hope of promoting more interest in these areas. Peluchi is an educational toy designed to both appeal to girls aesthetically and stimulate them creatively and intellectually. The toy began as a group project for a class called SP. 779: Advance Toy Product Design in the fall of 2009. It existed as a much simpler prototype with a limited set of programmable actions. Since then, the group has continued to develop beta prototype within the course of a semester under the class 2.752: Design of Mechanical Products. Additional work has been done to add complexity and allow more user customization. This is achieved through the addition of modular accessories disguising different servos and sensors that can be plugged into the base unit. The prototype itself was also refined to be more seamless and robust. Analysis and extensive design work were concentrated on the custom ports for the accessories. Finally, manufacturability and marketing strategies were then explored and future plans were considered for the toy.