GlowFly: Interactive Firefly Jar
Authors: Lauren Gan, Bella Lemay-Eder
Faculty Supervisor: David Quintero
Department: Engineering
Taking a spin on the classic firefly jar, we propose an electronic firefly toy to educate children on fireflies through cause-and-effect components and sensory stimulation. The targeted age range of our toy is for kids ages 1 to 2 years old. Mini LED fireflies are stored inside of our jar and are routed through the center pipe of a tree and through the rotating base, where there will be grass. With an actuator and sensor requirement, we will be using a microcontroller to control the subsystems and collect data. These sensors are a photoelectric sensor to detect light, a temperature and humidity sensor, and a vibration sensor. As fireflies glow brighter in a warm evening environment, our system intends to reflect the same thing within our LEDs as the toy operates under different conditions. There are three modes: play, color matching, and night light. In the play mode, all equipped sensors should be taking in readings which then change the output brightness of the LED fireflies. The intention of having multiple modes is to give the toy other features, while also adding another layer to cognitive development growth.