Doll simulating adaptive infant behavior

Abstract

A doll simulating infant behavior includes sensors that detect care given to the doll, such as feeding, rocking, and neglect or abuse, and provide inputs to a microcontroller which operates on a behavioral state machine to produce infant behaviors that are expected of a human infant in response to similar care. The doll includes a head portion having an opening for a mouth having sensors in communication with a programmable microcontroller. The sensors include a feed-switch, motion sensors, and an impact sensor. LED eyes, a speaker, and a bi-colored blinking LED provide the doll's heartbeat and overall health. The microcontroller is programmed to receive inputs from the plurality of sensors and the feed-switch, and causes the doll to undergo a plurality of behavioral cycles such as sleeping, hunger, feeding, crying, wailing, colic and burping. During each behavioral cycle, the microcontroller transitions through a plurality of states and updates a plurality of timers to count preset time limits as well as adaptive time limits that are responsive to care given to the doll during previous cycles. The timers control the length of time in each state, the transition between cycles, and provide inputs to the indicators such as the speaker and the LEDs, thereby simulating the behavior of an infant during each cycle and providing the caretaker with behavior that corresponds, in part, to care administered to the doll.