Plastic electronics prepared for toy industry

Dan Rogers - 09 Apr 2010

A Spanish project to develop plastic electronics for toys will begin work on commercial applications when it is completed later this year.

The Plas-e-Toy project will produce three demonstrator products for electro-optical and interactive devices.

Josefa Galvañ, who works in the product engineering lab at project coordinator the Technological Toy Institute (AIJU), Spain, states: 'We will make prototypes of toys to validate our technologies.

'Putting all of these technologies into one toy is difficult, so we will split them into three products. These demonstrators will be completed before the end of 2010.'

Interactive toys

Devices developed in Plas-e-Toy include electroluminescent (EL) substrates, electrochromic materials that can change colour, and integrated pressure sensors. The technology could be used to add new and more sophisticated levels of engagement and aesthetics to toys.

Galvañ suggests that adding a greater range of functions to a children's toy could add to the appeal of products - particularly interactive items, such as a play mat.

She comments: 'The play mat would be split into squares and have several functions working when children touch it - it's a dynamic toy.'

These new functions would allow European companies to compete with the mass-produced toy firms in Asia.

'We're going to try and get manufacturers in the industry to adopt these materials to give added value to products,' says Galvañ.

An online questionnaire at the beginning of the project, for European toy manufacturers and potential users, established that innovative functions and attractiveness are two primary means of adding value to toys.

Industry standards

The consortium on the Spanish project - AIJU, flexible electronics R&D centre Cetemmsa and the Centre for Electrochemical Technologies (Cidetec) - is currently speaking to European manufacturers to prepare the materials for commercial legislation and discuss how the technology can add value to toys.

Galvañ comments: 'We're talking about how it could be applied and coming up with new ideas too. 'Because a flexible device could be easily applied to any product, it becomes simpler to add to the functionality of a toy.

'We're also working on making it easy to comply with safety standards when using these materials.'

Feasibility

The consortium is also working on increasing the scale of processing for uniform electrochromic and EL materials.

However, work on commercial applications will begin in earnest once the project has produced demonstrators later this year, says Galvañ.

'Companies want to check these devices are working properly first. These demonstrators will show the feasibility of using plastic electronics,' she remarks.