The childhood fantasy that fuels children's imaginations everywhere and provided the inspiration for the Hollywood hit Toy Story is the idea behind the ToyBots Woozees platform - an ambitious project to connect children's toys to the internet.
The platform is the brainchild of , a US company which has said it is on the brink of announcing a partnership with a major telecom provider within weeks that will allow toy makers to set up pre-paid service for their toys
The platform allows toy makers to build Internet connectivity and GPS tracking into their toys. For example, an enabled teddy bear can use a built-in accelerometer to tell its owner when to give it a hug, or a talking Buzz Lightyear could be remotely updated with new catchphrases.
The platform involves wiring toys with hardware that gives them a GPS or 3G connection and touch sensors on the head, neck and back.
Other innovations include being able to "tickle" -- say for example -- your Barbie online and it will giggle in the real world or a grandmother would have the ability to record a story that the toy can read to her grandchild hundreds of miles away.
The platform also allows toys to be connected to a social network, where you can learn what your friends are doing with other toys.
Toybots is not planning to manufacture toys, instead the company has developed a platform for other toy makers.
The platform was unveiled at the TechCrunch50 conference in San Francisco this week as part of the company's efforts to license the technology out to big brands.
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