This toy will teach children about center of gravity and vibration. The bouncy ball will be constructed of a clear rubber so that children can see the inside of the toy and how the changing center of gravity affects the way in which the ball bounces.
A child could bounce the ball by him/her self and enjoy the way that the ball acts, or a group of children could bounce the ball amoungst themselves as children play with everyday bouncy balls. This bouncy ball will have a very unpredictable bounce and vibrate as the child(ren) play with it.
The construction costs should be realatively low for this toy. The clear rubber should cost next to nothing. The most expensive parts of the toy will be the motor, and the battery that powers it. The ball itself will be durable. The motor should be designed so that it does not break too easily but should last the entire life of the battery. The ball does have a limited lifetime due to the limitations of the lifetime of the battery inside of it. As far as safety goes, the ball will be very safe. There could be a danger of a child throwing the ball at another child or something of that nature. The ball will be large enough that a child can see the inner workings so it will be too large for a small child to accidently swallow.
This toy is designed for children age 5 and up. Children over the age of 5 will be able to grasp the concept of how the ball works and enjoy it's unpredictability. Younger children would be tempted to put the ball in their mouths. Although the ball is large enough not to choke on, they could still harm themselves in some mannor.
Chris Wulff
cwulff@andrew.cmu.edu