Google has filed a patent for toys that can interact with other media devices in an attempt to create "intelligent" toys for kids.
"The anthropomorphic device may be a doll or a toy that resembles a human, an animal, a mythical creature or an inanimate object," the patent states, reports StreetWise Journal.
The toys are equipped with cameras in their eyes, speakers in their mouths, microphones and motorized necks. It is said to be capable of listening, making eye contact, and responding with pre-recorded phrases.
Using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, the toys would be able to wirelessly communicate with cloud-based computers and manage other media devices, perhaps turning on songs or movies at children's commands, Business Insider reports.
The toys could be used like a remote control that could help manage home media devices in an easier way. With the correct configuration and data, it could also determine the people inside the room through face and voice recognition.
The patent is credited to Richard Wayne DeVaul and Daniel Aminzade.
All of this has privacy campaigners worried.
"When those devices are aimed specifically at children, then for many this will step over the creepy line," said Emma Carr, director of Big Brother Watch, in a report by Daily Mail. "Children should be able to play in private and shouldn't have to fear this sort of passive invasion of their privacy. It is simply unnecessary."
