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This remote-controlled Lego Mindstorms NXT Fat Boy bike is cute and stylised enough to guarantee a post on its own. But when you see that the actual controller is shaped like the handles of a real motor bike, then it's just not a matter of writing about it or not. It's a matter of taking a plane to Germany and stealing it.
A new robot called ExoFly could be exploring the surface of Mars, guiding rovers through the surface of the Red Planet. Developed by scientists at the Technical University Delft, Wageningen University, and TNO in Netherlands, the ExoFly is designed to imitate the flight patterns of dragonflies. Dragonflies from 300 million years ago, because these things are huge.
Not long after releasing their super-cheap 3-channel Black Stealth chopper, ThinkGeek is delivering a Micro 4-channel flying saucer with a built-in solid state accelerometer for control. Even if you have poor eyesight and fat, clumsy hands you can always switch on the "EZ button" backup that prevents maneuvers that may send the saucer out of control. A 20 minute charge will get you about 5-7 minutes of flight time, so the whole package seems pretty decent for $US100. [ThinkGeek via DVICE]
Most R/C cars are controlled by radio frequencies and a miniature steering wheel, but this car follows a dot of infrared light wherever you want it to go (similar to a cat chasing a laser). The only catches are that the car doesn't look to read throttle commands and it can only recognise light up to 5 feet away, so you can't point the beam at the top of Mount Rushmore and watch the tiny vehicle dutifully scurry its way up...yet. Running 20 minutes per charge, the complete kit goes for a reasonable $US50. [RichardSolo via Dvice]
This toy wristwatch is Star Warsishly perfect: it's a digital blue and white Artoo-themed digital watch with a mini detachable infra-red remote control R2D2. I'd be sending this trundling down the desks in my office to put a smile on my colleagues faces in a pew-pewing instant! (Well, I would if I worked in an office. Here it'd just get chewed by the cats.) Doesn't look like it makes Artoo's trademark beeps, though: you'll just have to be a big kid and supply 'em yourself. It's out now for about $US40. [Firebox via RandomGoodStuff]
If you love R/C toys, this Wi-Fi router monster truck is definitely a project worth tackling. In a nutshell, a guy named Jonathan Bennet managed to rig a very hackable Linksys WRT54GL router to a $US5 R/C monster truck so that it could be driven via the internet from up to 500 meters (1640 feet) away. Although not designed to be a how-to guide, there is more than enough information on the project page for someone with some knowledge to put one together at home. [JB Projects via Boing Boing Gadgets]
I like things that fly, especially when they're the size of a golf ball. Tomy's OFO RC toys are part of the Japanese Q series of all things minuscule, and are propelled by a rotor on its underside. The QFO will be available in Japan this month for about US$40, but more importantly, I keep thinking of how awesome it would be if 20 of these took to the sky at once in a public space. Check out the video below. [Akihabara via Oh Gizmo via Dvice]
Japanese toy maker Taiyo Corp has unveiled an R/C mini-chopper fitted with a proximity sensor that forces the device to descend when it hovers too close to the ceiling. A feature like that makes sense for novice users, and it appears to have 3-channel control, but beginners probably have more to worry about than just the ceiling when flying indoors. Plus, 30-60 minutes of charge time is going to earn you 5 minutes of use, so it may be difficult to justify spending US$92 on it. [Taiyo via CrunchGear via DVICE]
This Remote Controlled Hovering Space Surfer has to be the best toy among the ongoing barrage of RC flying apparatuses: a nine-inch Cylon-Silver Surfer-Bender-bred astronaut who one day got all the Beach Boys albums and decided to surf on a 11-inch board capable of hovering, spinning 360 degrees, and moving straight in all directions with ease. It has enough thrust to get up to a 20-metre ceiling, but having a 8m range, I would advise against pushing it that high unless you are willing to wait 15 minutes until the batteries run down. [Hammacher via Toylogy]
It took 10 months since we showed you the N95 R/C car hack, but now someone's done the inevitable thing and made an iPhone version. The DIY hack is pretty inventive: the iPhone's Wi-Fi link is used to send data to a PC, where some software sends serial data to an Arduino board which then adjusts the original R/C box for the toy car. Convoluted, but neat: the tilt-to-turn feature being priceless. There're some pretty good guidelines at the project page if you're in the mood for some DIY gadget fun, and I'd just like to point out that the iPhone has 3D accelerometers, which might be fun for aircraft... [Project via Hacknmod]
