The subject of the invention is a system for supporting perceptive and cognitive development of infants and small children, whose task involves monitoring the development of perceptive and cognitive abilities, early diagnosis and prevention of irregularities of the development of these abilities and ensuring their optimal development, which constitutes the basis for further learning stages at the pre-school level.

Patent US8536436 reveals a system for training the user's cognitive abilities, which contains at least the first, second and third levels of difficulties, with every level of difficulty including modules with exercises in the following musical categories: rhythm, voice awareness, musical ear, music theory and creativity. The invention can be used by computer by one or more processors and it includes: grouping of at least two tasks selected from among at least two of the following musical categories: rhythm, voice awareness, musical ear, music theory and creativity into one or more training modules. The level of difficulty of exercises increases. The system includes a training music system and it includes: at least one computer and a computer programme, which can improve the user's cognitive functions. The training set is connected with a system for monitoring and recording the individual's efficiency in each part of the exercises.

The publication of an international application for invention WO2013123587 reveals a system for improving cognitive and motor abilities. The method involves adding motor elements to tested objects, checking the reaction of the brain and choosing further sequences of exercises depending on the reaction of the brain. The system modifies tasks adjusting to the effects of the patient's learning. The invention also reveals the method of assessing the level of skills or cognitive skill improvement.

The publication, Toward computers that recognize and respond to user emotion IBM Systems Journal 39, 3.4 (2000) 705 - 719, presents a computer application which allows the assessment of human emotions and responding to them. This application can be a component of a system for improving human cognitive abilities.

US patent US7857677 presents a device supporting the development of infants and infant care, the operation of which is controlled by the infant's suckling reflex. Newborn children use their sucking skills consciously for performing the task or manipulating the stimulus- generating device. It is a common practice to soothe a crying baby by rocking motion or another sound or visual stimulus. The subject of the invention is a device, which is started and controlled directly by the infant. The device uses the infant's knowledge about the correlation between its own sucking and the stimulus generated by the device, thus enabling the newborn to control the stimuli. Patent application US2002042713 describes an interactive toy for recognizing the child's speech and generating phonemes.

Patent US7614880 presents a method and device for supporting correct pronunciation. The device is a toy in the form of an interactive teddy bear, which repeats phonemes in various languages, thus supporting foreign language learning. The invention is intended for infants and small children.

Polish patent PL 184102 presents a system of an active speech centre stimulator, especially in infants and children. The system consists of a device entering voice signals, an analogue-to- digital converter, a memory of model phonemes, a comparator of entered and remembered model phonemes, a decision system, a system synthesising and reproducing phoneme sounds, a signal-generating device which informs about the compliance of pronounces phonemes with model phonemes and a sound-generating device. The device entering voice signals is connected with the analogue-to-digital converter input, the output of which is connected with a decisions system by a comparator of entered and remembered phoneme models. The principle of the system operation is based on converting a toneme pronounced by the child into a signal, which reaches the analogue-to-digital converter. The task of the analogue-to- digital converter involves filtering of surrounding noise, preliminary signal segmentation defining the beginning and end of the phoneme and processing the signal to a form consistent with the form of model phonemes recorded in the memory. A signal processed in this way is sent to the comparator. The comparator compares the phoneme said by the child and processed by the analogue-to-digital converter with phoneme models stored in the memory and defines the level of their similarity, defining and ordering phonemes according to the degree of similarity. Information about the sequence of phonemes and the degree of their similarity is sent to the decision system. The decision system counts and remembers how many times the phoneme, which is the most similar to the pronounces phoneme, was selected. If the degree of similarity between the pronounced phoneme and the model phoneme is sufficient, the decision system sends an activation signal to a device providing rewards for correct pronunciation in the form of blinking lights and a pleasant tune. According to the invention, the system contains a control unit, an electronic memory, a stimulus database, a reward-stimulus generator, possibly a stimulus generator, activity monitors, effector-emitting devices and reward stimuli-emitting devices. The child's activity is monitored in particular by motion sensors, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, sound sensors, pulse sensors or breathing sensors. The child's activity monitors are an element of the child's surroundings or environment. It is especially advantageous if an activity monitor is an element of clothing on the child's body. Another advantageous solution is when the activity monitor is an element of the child's environment, especially the bassinet, cot, pen or mat, which is the surface, on which the child stays together with toys. Effector-emitting devices are, in particular, loudspeakers, lamps. It is advantageous if the lamps emit colourful light. Effector-emitting devices are an element of the child's surroundings or environment. It is particularly advantageous if an effector-emitting device is an element of the child's environment, especially the bassinet, cot, pen or a toy. Reward-stimuli emitting devices are, in particular, loudspeakers or lamps emitting colourful light. The control unit analysis data from the child activity monitors, chooses effectors and provides new stimuli using a stimulus generator or stimuli from the database and emits them by the effector-emitting device, thus providing appropriate stimulation, which can be recognised by the child's brain. If it happens, it will evoke a spontaneous reaction, which will be registered by relevant child activity monitors. Registration of the right response results in generating a reward stimulus and emitting it in the form of a tune or light effects, thus directing and enhancing the desirable developmental processes occurring in the child's nervous system during the natural learning process.

Owing to the use of the system according to the invention, critical periods in the child's development during the first year will prevent the loss of perceptive abilities for stimuli, which do not occur in a given environment, e.g. speech sounds with a phonological structure different from the native structure. Remembering sequences of various stimuli, which are necessary to compare changes, requires the development of connections between various areas in the brain, thus creating favourable conditions for working memory development. The system according to the invention supports the development of perceptive and cognitive skills in children at various ages, in particular in infants, in whom a consciously controlled response to presented stimuli is not possible. The system improves phonemic hearing by practicing proper distinguishing between speech sounds; improves the musical ear by practicing musical tone recognition, improves visual perception, by practicing sensitivity to colours and shapes, improves working memory by practicing the memory for sequences of audio -visual stimuli and correlation between various modalities of perception. The subject of the invention is presented in embodiments. Drawing designation:

Fig. 1, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6, Fig. 7 - Diagram of the system according to the invention in various embodiment variants

Fig. 2 - Diagram of the operating cycle according to the invention

Fig. 8 - General diagram of the system

Fig. 9 -Diagram of the system operational mode

Fig. 10 - Diagram of the system with a breathing sensor, phoneme models of Chinese, a reward generator (tunes, light effects with LED diodes) and motion change analyser.

Embodiment I

The system presented in the drawing in Fig. 1 consists of:

1. A set of child activity monitors:

- motion sensors installed at cot elements,

- an active mat with built-in motion sensors,

- motion and pulse sensors for the child's ankle, with wireless connection to the control unit.

2. A set of devices for reward generation:

- a carousel generating motion, sounds and colourful lights hanging above the cot,

- sound and colourful light generators installed at the cot with wireless connection to the control unit,

3. A silent alarm system for parents/childminders in the basic version,

it is a separate device signalling the child's condition

4. A control system including:

- a computer as a control unit,

- controlling software implementing computational intelligence solutions:

it ensures artificial intelligence of the system, unambiguous child- system with adequacy of stimuli and rewarding proper reactions to them,

adaptation to the child's development stage,

- a database including the history of the system operation, memory of operational mode settings, memory of preferences and history of the child's learning as well as stimulus generators,

- syllable sequence generator.

After starting the system, the control unit performs a self-check of the system and after it is completed successfully, it goes to the selected programming or learning mode. The programming mode is available only to parents/childminders and it allows modification of system settings. The learning mode is the default mode for the normal operation of the system. In the learning mode, the control unit continuously analyses data from the motion sensors included in the child activity monitoring set. If the child's motion is detected, it sends a silent alarm to the parents/childminders and starts the teaching process. Within the teaching process, effectors are selected and new stimuli are provided to the child from the learning history from the database or from the syllable sequence generator. They provide appropriate stimulation, which can be recognised by the child's brain. If a sequence is recognized by the child, it causes a spontaneous motor response, which is then registered by activity monitors. Recognition of responses by the control, unit, which show that the child has registered a stimulus or noticed a change it, e.g. distinction between two speech sounds, which are not present in the mother tongue leads to activation of the reward generator and appropriately attractive effectors from the reward generation set.

The operational cycle of the system is presented in the drawing in Fig. 2.

Embodiment II

The system presented in the drawing in Fig. 3 consists of:

1. A set of child activity monitors:

- a telemetric pacifier with an integrated transmitter performing basic functions of the monitoring of the child's condition,

- an active mat with built-in motion sensors,

- motion and pulse sensors for the child's ankle,

with wireless connection to the control unit,

2. A set of devices for reward generation:

- a carousel generating motion, sounds and colourful lights hanging above the cot,

- sound generators installed at the cot,

- an audio-visual device installed at the cot (a generator of sound and visual stimuli) with direct wireless connection to the control unit.

3. A silent alarm system or parents/childminders in the basic version,

it is a separate device signalling the child's condition

4. A control system including:

- a computer as a control unit,

- controlling software implementing computational intelligence solutions: it ensures artificial intelligence of the system, unambiguous child -system with adequacy of stimuli and rewarding proper reactions to them, adaptation to the child's development stage,

- a database including the history of the system operation, memory of operational mode settings, memory of preferences and history of the child's learning as well as stimulus generators,

- a generator of syllable sequences and other sounds.

The operational cycle is described in embodiment I and presented in the drawing in Fig. 2.

Embodiment III

The system presented in the drawing in Fig. 4 consists of:

1. A set for monitoring the child's activity:

- motion sensors installed in the bassinet,

- motion and pulse sensors for the child's ankle

with wireless connection to the control unit, 2. A set of devices for reward generation:

- sound and light generators installed in the cot,

^~ a simple teether toy equipped with temperature and pressure sensor responding to the child's touch

with direct wireless connection to the control unit.

3. A silent alarm set for parents/childminders as a mobile phone application,

4. A control system including:

- a computer as a control unit,

- controlling software implementing computational intelligence solutions:

it ensures artificial intelligence of the system, unambiguous child- system with adequacy of stimuli and rewarding proper reactions to them,

adaptation to the child's development stage,

- a database including the history of the system operation, memory of operational mode settings, memory of preferences and history of the child's learning as well as stimulus generators,

- a generator of syllable sequences and other sounds.

The operational cycle is described in embodiment I and presented in the drawing in Fig, 2. Embodiment IV

The system presented in the drawing in Fig. 5 consists of:

1. A set for monitoring the child's activity:

- a telemetric pacifier registering the child's basic vital parameters,

- sensors built into an intelligent telemetric toy (variants a ball or a plush toy),

- motion sensors built into the bassinet,

- motion and pulse sensors for the child's ankle

with wireless connection to the control unit, 2. A set of devices for reward generation:

- an intelligent telernetric toy - a plush toy ensuring audio-visual stimuli containing a loudspeaker, a lamp, a microphone and a camera,

- sound and colourful light generators installed at the bassinet

with wireless connection to the control unit,

3. A silent alarm set for parents/childminders as a mobile phone

application allowing the reception of alarms, sounds and images from the intelligent audiovisual toy,

4. A control system including:

- a computer as a control unit,

- controlling software implementing computational intelligence solutions:

it ensures artificial intelligence of the system, unambiguous child- system with adequacy of stimuli and rewarding proper reactions to them,

adaptation to the child's development stage,

- a database including the history of the system operation, memory of operational mode settings, memory of preferences and history of the child's learning as well as stimulus generators,

- a generator of syllable sequences and other sounds.

The operational cycle is described in embodiment I and presented in the drawing in Fig. 2. Embodiment V

The system presented in the drawing in Fig. 6 consists of:

1. A set for monitoring the child's activity:

- motion sensors installed at pen elements,

- an active mat with built-in motion sensors,

- motion and pulse sensors for the child's ankle,

- sensors built into a set of intelligent toys

with wireless connection to the control unit,

2. A set of devices for reward generation:

- a carousel generating motion, sounds and colourful lights hanging over the pen, - sound and colourful light generators installed at the pen,

- an intelligent toy containing a loudspeaker, a lamp, a microphone and a camera with wireless connection to the control unit, 3. A silent alarm set for parents/childminders as a mobile phone application allowing the reception of alarms, sounds and images from the intelligent audio- visual toy,

4. A control system including:

- a computer as a control unit,

- controlling software implementing computational intelligence solutions:

it ensures artificial intelligence of the system, unambiguous child- system with adequacy of stimuli and rewarding proper reactions to them,

adaptation to the child's development stage,

- a database including the history of the system operation, memory of operational mode settings, memory of preferences and history of the child's learning as well as stimulus generators,

- a generator of syllable sequences and other sounds.

The operational cycle is described in embodiment I and presented in the drawing in Fig. 2. Embodiment VI

The system presented in the drawing in Fig. 7 consists of:

1. A set for monitoring the child's activity:

- atelemetric pacifier, 11

- an active base (a smaller version of the mat) with built-in motion sensors,

- motion and pulse sensors for the child's ankle,

with wireless connection to the control unit,

2. A set of devices for reward generation:

- sound and colourful light generators installed at the cot,

- an intelligent toy

with direct wireless connection to the control unit.

3. A silent alarm set for parents/childminders as a mobile phone application allowing the reception of alarms, sounds and images from the intelligent audio- visual toy,

4. A control system including: a computer as a control unit, controlling software implementing computational intelligence solutions:

it ensures artificial intelligence of the system, unambiguous child- system with adequacy of stimuli and rewarding proper reactions to them,

adaptation to the child's development stage, - a database including the history of the system operation, memory of operational mode settings, memory of preferences and history of the child's learning as well as stimulus generators,

— a generator of syllable sequences and other sounds.

The operational cycle is described in embodiment I and presented in the drawing in Fig. 2.