BRIEF 2 “It’s Not Supposed

to do That”Project: Baby Soother

Light & Sound

I am most interested in using LIGHTand SOUND in my project

My aim is to turn a plain boring toy into something more functional, exciting and inspiring

by applying electronics!

I am going to use a soft toy because they have no function other than being a comfort for

children – I want to expand on this by giving them more useful functionality.

I am currently reading this book by Tom Igoe. There are extensive projects inside showing you how to

implement electronics into soft toys, essentially bringing them to life, giving them character and

purpose.

Research has shown that the sounds of the womb can help newborn babies to relax

and sleep better as it reminds them of the comfortable safe environment they lived in

for 9 months.

The sound of the mother’s heartbeat is also part of the womb environment.

So I want to create a sound reactive baby soother which will play womb

sounds whenever the baby cries

There are several toys on the market with similar functions but none of them have a

sound reactive sensor, you have to physically push a button or squeeze them

to activate lights/sounds.

I will need to use a microphone sensor to pick up the sounds of the baby crying. The Arduino forum suggests these electret mics

are great for picking up voices.

A Waveshield is needed to place on top of the Arduino – this will read the SD card and play the

sounds of womb/heartbeat music through a small speaker. Volume can be controlled with

the onboard potentiometer.

Babies love glow worms because they generate a cozy warm light which makes

them feel safe and at ease

I also want my toy to have glowing LEDs which pulse at the same time

as the heartbeat sounds