ToyBots unveils a goofy vision of Internet-connected children's toys | Sustainability | Fast Company

As a kid, I lusted after Teddy Ruxpin, an ultra-popular animatronic talking bear that read stories via a built-in audio tape deck. So I understand the thinking behind ToyBots, a project unveiled today at TechCrunch50 that connects toys to the Internet in a bid to make products like Tickle Me Elmo more interactive. But let's be honest--this thing is just creepy.

Toybots, described by its developers at online gaming network SGN as the "Kindle of toys", is an open-source platform that outfits toys with 3G, GPS, and accelerometer capabilities. The Toybots demo product, dubbed "Woozee", is a stuffed bear that stores messages, plays back audio books, provides fun facts whenever the Woozee's owner switches locations, and allows friends and family to deliver virtual gifts. As the Toybots Web site ponders, "Imagine a physical toy you can tickle online and it giggles in the real world. Imagine a grandmother in Iowa recording a family story the toy can tell her grandchild in Florida." Or imagine a stranger hacking into the Toybots network and harassing your kid...