Air Ray, the Shiny Remote-Controlled, Wing-Flappin’ Critter

Here’s a helium balloon with a twist: the Air Ray is modeled after a manta ray but instead of lazily plying its way through the ocean, it floats gracefully through the air. The guys at Festo, a company that specializes in factory automation but seems to have a lot of spare time for fun projects, created a beating wing drive for this lighter-than-air remote-controlled craft, using the “Fin Ray Effect” to make it fly like a sea creature. Better not try flying this outside with any winds blowing—you’ll need lots of space in a swank Eurostyle atrium to pull this one off. [Festo]