Instrumented toys for assessing spatial cognition in infants

Abstract

This paper describes an interdisciplinary approach to the assessment on infants’ behavior, with a focus on the technology. The goal is an objective, quantitative analysis of concurrent maturation of sensory, motor and cognitive abilities in young children, in relation to the achievement of developmental milestones. An instrumented block-box toy specifically developed to assess the ability to insert objects into holes is presented. The functional specifications are derived from experimental protocols devised by neuroscientists to assess spatial cognition skills. Technological choices are emphasized with respect to ecological requirements. An ad hoc calibration procedure is also presented which is suitable to unstructured environments. Finally, preliminary tests carried out at a local day-care with 12–24 months old infants are presented which prove the in-field usability of the proposed technology.

Key words： inertial-magnetic sensing; in-field calibration; neuro-developmental engineering; ecological assessment

Acknowledgements

This work was partly supported by a grant from the European Union, TACT (Thought in Action), FP6-NEST/ADVENTURE program (No. 015636) and by the Academic Research Fund (AcRF) Tier1 (RG 40/09), Ministry of Education, Singapore

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