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ToySphere

This project aims to address the environmental impact of discarded toys. With 80% of toys ending up in landfills despite their potential for reuse, the project seeks to reduce waste by encouraging children and parents to make more sustainable decisions regarding end-of-life (EoL) toys. A study discovered that while more than half of purchased children’s toys are kept, they often fall into disuse shortly after purchase as children's interest quickly fades. Consequently, a surplus of toys accumulates; these items, unused yet not broken and kept by their owners—referred to as EoL toys—are frequently disposed of during major domestic changes, such as moving houses, despite being in perfectly good condition. In this research, we explore ways to promote  children and parents’ toy reuse and sharing behaviors using virtual reality technology. Our team will develop a system where children can digitize their old toys, creating 3D virtual replicas that can be displayed and interacted with on various digital platforms, forming new emotional connections with their virtual toys. By fostering these new connections, we hope to make it easier for children to part with physical toys they no longer use while they still have high value, encouraging donation or sharing. The project will include  community engagement through interactive exhibitions, aiming to raise awareness about toy waste and foster sustainable behaviors. This interdisciplinary effort combines expertise in sustainable design, virtual reality, and interactive exhibitions to reimagine the lifecycle of toys and contribute to a more circular economy.

Midterm report

PI Dr. Yoon Jung Choi: School of Design, Industrial Design Faculty. yjchoi@vt.edu

Co-PI: Myounghoon Jeon, myounghoonjeon@vt.edu, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering; Sang Won Lee, sangwonlee@vt.edu, Department of Computer Science, College of Engineering

Costs to date: PI buy out time ($3000), Two Graduate student researchers ($4500), four undergraduate student researchers less than 10 hours per week ($1000), Contextual Inquiry participation compensation ($550)

Cost of material: 3D scanner ($1500), scanner marker ($100), 

Future costs: Survey participant’s compensation ($200), usability testing compensation ($600) four undergraduate student researchers less than 10 hours per week ($2000), two waged graduate research students ($4500), Usability testing ($600)

Summary

The team has conducted ten contextual inquiry visits to households in Blacksburg, engaging parents and children in meaningful discussions about the reasons behind keeping toys that are no longer in use. These visits provided valuable insights into the barriers that prevent families from donating or sharing, such as emotional attachment, perceived value, or lack of awareness about donation processes, as well as potential motivators that could encourage more sustainable actions. During each visit, participants were invited to share unneeded or end-of-use toys, which were then 3D scanned and transformed into digital assets. The scanned files have been cleaned and visually enhanced by the design team, making them suitable for integration into a virtual environment. This digital space is being designed as a personalized experience, with individual virtual rooms labeled with each child’s name to showcase their toys. In addition, a shared community space is under development within the digital environment, where children can, with permission, bring their virtual toys to interact with others. (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Visit to household children ages between 10-16.
Figure 1. Visit to household children ages between 10-16.
Figure 1. Visit to household children ages between 10-16.
Figure 1. Visit to household children ages between 10-16.

These scanned files were cleaned and visualized by the design team as seen in Figure 2. A virtual environment was created to house these toys as seen in Figure 3. Each participant has a personalized virtual room labeled with their name, and a shared community space in the virtual space environment is in the process of development. This shared space will allow children to bring their virtual toys (with permission) to interact with others. The design process for this interaction is ongoing.

As part of its outreach efforts, the team participated in the Science Festival to gauge the impact of the intervention and gather feedback from parents and children. This event provided an opportunity to test early-stage concepts and determine whether the intervention could influence mindsets and behaviors around toy reuse and donation. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with parents expressing interest in the platform’s potential and children showing enthusiasm for the interactive elements. Importantly, attendees suggested key improvements, such as integrating a "click-to-donate" button on the platform to facilitate direct action, which the team plans to incorporate in future iterations. Additionally, the team has begun collaborating with Gustavo to discuss a planned exhibition at the Cube, aiming to bring the project to a wider audience. This exhibition will showcase the virtual environments and the scanned toys, providing a platform to engage the community in conversations about sustainability, reuse, and the circular economy. 

igure 2. 3D scanned data and visualized image.
Figure 2. 3D scanned data and visualized image.
Figure 3. Room environment design, perspective view, and top view.
Figure 3. Room environment design, perspective view, and top view.

Future planned educational and outreach activities: 

  • Conduct a survey targeting 100 participants.
  • Clean and enhance the 3D scanned visuals.
  • Design individual and shared virtual rooms with interactive elements.
  • Extract participant quotes from interviews to embed into 3D-scanned toys (triggered when hovered over).
  • Develop a web-based platform for users to interact from home.
  • Publication submission plan: 
    • IASDR 2025 (International Association of Societies of Design Research)
    • ACM DIS 2025
  • External fund plan: 

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