A mechatronic toy for measuring infants’ grasping development

The capability of reaching is a milestone in infantspsila development (in the act of reaching the brain has to deal with several problems, in terms of movement adjustments to reach the object correctly). Studying infantspsila reaching can be useful for detecting possible development delays. This work is focused on the design, development, calibration and tests of a device for measuring infantspsila reaching. The device is a rattle equipped with inertial and contact sensors, an energy supply and an electronic board. To assess the device mechanical and electrical characteristics, tensile compression tests have been executed in order to study the mechanical behavior of the contact sensors and detect their activation threshold. Moreover some preliminary experimental tests have been performed with 24-month-old children in order to check if the device were compliant with the clinical specifications. Experimental and clinical tests have confirmed that a sensorized toy like a rattle could be useful for monitoring children motor development and in particular the act of reaching.