(Credit:
PopSci.com)
You'd think a gadget guy like me would have grown up with radio-controlled cars, but you'd be wrong. For some reason my parents were terrified of them. They saw some movie in the '80s where a kid's car runs out of batteries in the middle of a street. He runs to get it and is killed by a drunk driver or something. The point is it scared them away from RC cars for my entire childhood.
But now I'm a man. If I want a radio-controlled car, I'm going to buy one. But then on PopSci.com I spotted Nic Case's insane Pocket Rocket, supposedly the world's fastest RC car, and now I know I'll never measure up.
I mean, the thing goes 161 miles per hour on flat land, a world record. And Case plans to take it to more than 200 mph. That's actually a little bit scary when you consider the Pocket Rocket has no brakes: it stops by just decelerating the motor. If that's not crazy enough, it uses an RC helicopter-style gyro to keep the steering on track. Awesome.
And look at the thing! Were I a Smurf, I'd demand a thrill ride in it. Alas I'm not. I will, though, be researching this awesome world I did not know existed: RC-car speed contests. I'm so onboard. And I'm buying shin guards.
Update at 10:30 a.m. PDT July 9: Fixed a typo in the product's name.
(Credit:
Matthew Fitzgerald-CNET)
With the holidays right around the corner, here's something to consider stuffing in that stocking. The Vamp from Inter Active Toy is a great gift for kids age 8 and up. It's essentially a radio-controlled flying bat that can be used indoors and outdoors.
Six AA batteries power the remote, which in turn charges the Vamp via a small plug. A full charge--around 15 to 20 minutes--should give you about 8 minutes of flight time. The Vamp retails for $59 and is exclusive to Radio Shack in the United States and Circuit City in Canada. It is expected to hit store shelves in early November.
We got an early release here at CNET and took it, with its flapping wings and bright green LED eyes, for a spin. For the most part, the Vamp does exactly what they say it does: fly around. You just need enough space to do it, as walls tend to impact flight patterns. All in all, it should provide short bursts of entertainment, although we wish it were a bit cheaper.
(Credit:
Walmart.com)
The words "inflatable" and "robot" rarely appear next to one another in a sentence, but there's a first time for everything.
The sub-$40 Mega Mech Airmagination radio-controlled robot may be full of air, but as the photo that accompanies this story shows, it's also full of enough awesomeness to cause amazed facial expressions from mulleted youngsters.
The robot has a built-in voice chip that spits out pre-loaded phrases, as well as wheels in its feet that let you drive it around RC-style.
Like most cutting-edge robots, the Mega Mech Airmagination is available at Walmart.
At more than 48 inches tall, Airmagination is touted on the Walmart site as the "largest toy robot on the market!" That may be true, but it's only because the $300,000 Land Walker robot hasn't hit Target's shelves yet.
There's a new buzz in the air at CES, and robotic toy company WowWee is creating it. The FlyTech Dragonfly is a remote-controlled dragonfly that can fly, flutter, swoop and crash with gusto. The little Styrofoam-and-plastic bug is thrown like a paper airplane, then controlled using the included Xbox 360 controller-like remote. Because it uses wings rather than a propeller to generate lift, it flies like an erratic airplane. While it's slightly harder to keep in the air and can't take off on its own, it's far easier to steer than spinout-prone remote-controlled mini-helicopters.
The Dragonfly offers a few options to pilots with varying skills, thanks to a "beginner/expert" switch on the controller and a detachable ribbon tail on the bug itself. In beginner mode and with the ribbon connected and producing drag, the Dragonfly flies in leisurely circles. In the more sensitive expert mode and without the tail, the bug flutters fast and frantic.
I got some time with the FlyTech Dragonfly, and after a few crashes and near misses, I was flying it around with ease. Of course, when I took the tail off and switched to the expert setting, I started crashing again. Thankfully, the Dragonfly's body proved surprisingly durable; I saw the little flier survive crashes of more than 10 feet. (Crave reported more than a month ago on WowWee's initial plans for the Dragonfly, which was seen in action on YouTube.)
WowWee also showed off some other interesting robotic toys at its CES booth. Following in the footsteps of the RoboRaptor and the RoboReptile are the RoboQuad, an insectile but strangely endearing robotic bug creature, and the RoboBoa, a programmable robotic snake. The sickeningly cute RoboPanda lacks the remote control of the other robots and instead uses touch sensors all over its body to give it interactivity.
Finally, the WowWee Alive Elvis is a disturbingly realistic singing animatronic bust of the king of rock and roll. He and the Burger King's rubbery visages will haunt my dreams. The FlyTech Dragonfly will retail for about $40, the RoboBoa and the RoboQuad for $110, the RoboPanda for $230, and the WowWee Alive Elvis for $350. All of the new WowWee products ship later this year.
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