It is difficult to see the future, but it is not impossible to spot upcoming trends in toys. Three experts in the field sat down with moderator and author of “Out of the Toybox,” Richard Gottlieb, at the 2010 Engage Expo in New York to answer questions about the future of toys and the “transmedia” trend of merging physical toys or objects with online, video and robotic capabilities.

“What I see more and more are the use of codes,” said Carlin West, executive vice president of acquisitions at 4KidsEntertainment. “So I think what we’re all trying to figure out is what besides a code can make an object interactive with an online game or an online virtual world.”

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, director of the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab, showed a video of her research and discussed some of the things they were developing, including a sequence featuring an on-screen character kicking a ball to a real-life player, who then kicked the ball back. According to Breazeal, the same robotic technology used to provide physical therapy could also drive virtual technology.

“Imagine gaming off the screen,” Breazeal said. “Imagine using a physical car in Mario Kart. I think when you are talking about a smart television or a television-enabled toy, this is definitely a future I can see happening.”

The panelists also discussed user-generated content, another trend popping up in kid-friendly social networks. West said UGC is not new to adults, but its increasing availability to children is a positive change in the way they can use the Internet.

“Historically, the Internet for kids has been a passive activity,” West said. “They watch videos; even a lot of casual games are not really interactive. More and more sites are allowing kids to leverage the power of the computer for creative expression. Now while consuming content, they are also creating content and sharing it.”

Greg Davis, U.S. general manager of Total Immersion, commented on the importance of using published content and UGC together. He said consumers like to personalize everything and are attracted to sites that allow freedom of creativity.

“There may have been a novelty of purely amateur UGC,” Davis said. “But I think that was has taken shape as of late is consumers making published content their own and putting their own spin on it.”

The group then touched on how toy and game manufacturers could take advantage of the emerging parental role of the home computer. Panelists said that the use of older PCs to keep children occupied is increasing as parents upgrade to newer computers or laptops and donate their older machines to younger family members.

“I think that is a big change in what’s happening in the household,” West said. “It used to be that a video was a babysitter. You’d just pop in a video and go do whatever you needed to do in your household. Now you’re giving your child the computer you don’t care so much about.”

Keeping children entertained while finishing the laundry sounds fine; however, Breazeal said software should also encourage physical play. She said it is critical for kids to be in the world and moving around, rather than sitting in front of a monitor.

“I want to see kids moving and being with other kids and physically getting in there and rolling around,” Breazeal said. “I can see the draw and the power of the computer, but I really want to see us move away from this button-pressing, screen-looking play pattern for young kids.”

According to Davis, augmented reality is one such way to get away from the stagnant activity that often accompanies computer play. By combining the functionality of a webcam with a physical toy, Davis said, it is possible to bring a stationary object to life.

Davis demonstrated this by showing the group an “I-tag” — a dog tag that, when viewed by the webcam, comes to life on the screen as a 3-D animated mechanical soldier. He said the tag was a promotional piece for Mattel and that it demonstrates the potential of augmented reality.

“These are interactive experiences that are really designed to give the user a sense of the character and the franchise,” Davis said. “I think it’s really setting the footprint for what might be the future.”