Making Toys 6

FriendlyFox on Thoroughly Modern Tilly

Thanks to Emily for the post!
http://thoroughlymoderntilly.wordpress.com/2009/05/19/foxy/

FriendlyFox

FriendlyFox from Katie Bode on Vimeo.

FriendlyFox is the take anywhere, no-hassle furry friend for the modern girl. With soft pet-able fur and a pleasing, vibrating 'purr' sensation when you stroke its head, FriendlyFox is the perfect pet for those without the time or effort required for a 'living' pet that still want the pleasure of furry companionship.

Sell Sheet

Three Prototypes for Fox Neck Friend

Sketch

Vibrating travel fur pet that cuddles with you when you can't have the real thing

Photoshop Look and Feel Prototype

This is the vintage fox I bought on ebay with photoshopped red jewel eyes

More Plush Resources

NY Elegant Fabric
224 W 40th St
New York, NY 10018
Has a really good faux fur selection (2nd Floor)

http://www.daytonatrim.com/ 

Daytona Trim
251 W 39th St
New York, NY 10018

Ribbons, Polyfill, Buttons, Sequins, Embroidery Thread (pimp your toy)

http://www.leesartshop.com/

Lee's Art Shop
220 West 57th St.
New York, NY 10019
More of an art supply store but with a small but surprisingly good craft section

Hacking The Skanky Dancing Doll

I found this really awesome blinking, dancing, singing skanky doll toy in Bushwick this weekend that was absolutely too incredible not to hack. Unfortunately I won't be with you tomorrow to hack in person, but I documented her in all her plastic-y glory for your viewing pleasure:

Meet Skanky Dancing Doll

front

back

Check out her moves!

without skank-wear, note LED belly button ring, this doll is so classy

Capacitance and Touch

What is a capacitor?
In a way, a capacitor is a little like a battery. Although they work in completely different ways, capacitors and batteries both store electrical energy. Inside the battery, chemical reactions produce electrons on one terminal and absorb electrons on the other terminal. A capacitor is much simpler than a battery, as it can't produce new electrons -- it only stores them. Inside the capacitor, the terminals connect to two metal plates separated by a non-conducting substance, or dielectric. You can easily make a capacitor from two pieces of aluminum foil and a piece of paper. It won't be a particularly good capacitor in terms of its storage capacity, but it will work. In theory, the dielectric can be any non-conductive substance. However, for practical applications, specific materials are used that best suit the capacitor's function. Mica, ceramic, cellulose, porcelain, Mylar, Teflon and even air are some of the non-conductive materials used. The dielectric dictates what kind of capacitor it is and for what it is best suited. Depending on the size and type of dielectric, some capacitors are better for high frequency uses, while some are better for high voltage applications. Capacitors can be manufactured to serve any purpose, from the smallest plastic capacitor in your calculator, to an ultra capacitor that can power a commuter bus. NASA uses glass capacitors to help wake up the space shuttle's circuitry and help deploy space probes

Sound Toy

Arduino analog synthesizer using Audino code from tinker.it. The potentiometer "mouth" controls tone while the IR sensor in the "eye" controls volume for switching notes. Unfortunately I fried the IR sensor during the final wiring so the current prototype has a non-integrated potentiometer for volume control.

Lightee

Sell Sheet

Light Prototype III

Look and Feel Prototypes

These prototypes are for testing out various soft coverings. In total there are 2 different body fabrics, 2 leg styles and 3 eye styles.

Role Prototypes

User Scenarios

Light Prototype II

Modified existing code/board to accommodate 4 momentary soft switches which control various light patterns for the body and eyes.

board

photo of lit prototype (having problems with visibility of non-super bright leds)