Jun 4 2009 I Want: Turbo Heather XTreme Racedoll
Why didn't we have cool toys like this when I was growing up? I only had one toy. And now I have wolf palm and bottle-cap glasses.
Look out! Here come the Extreme Radio-Controlled Southern Belles! [dvice]
Thanks to whoever sent me this last week, hit me up again and I'll give you a proper what-for.
Mar 11 2009 Race Car Controlled With Blackberry Storm
So apparently some guys programmed a Blackberry Storm to control a little toy race car using its accelerometers. Then they posted the video on Youtube. Then McLaren saw the video and contacted them about using the device to control a real race car. And that's what they did (second half of the video). Pretty neat. Sure, not as neat as controlling a race car with your mind, but hey, we'd have to go to the aliens for that technology. Which would probably require a few sacrificial probings. Just saying, I'm friends with them. Ladies? No? Okay, plan B. Effeminate gentlemen?
Thanks to Curtis and Troy, who both know race car is the same spelled forward and backwards. It's palindromic!
Jan 27 2009 Spider Robot Shoots Webs, Catches Criminals
This spider-inspired robot apparently shoots webs to catch criminals in the act of cowering like little girls. Per translated German:
Which like an ugly remote controlled car is in really an awake robot, which is to catch burglars, looks harmless. The Japanese robot manufacturer Tmsuk and the safety enterprise Alacom developed the prototype of the T-34 of robot mentioned.
I have no idea what that means but I think what they were trying to get at is if this thing actually catches you, you're probably the worst burglar ever. Or a magic goat. Probably a magic goat.
Spiderman-Robocop fängt Menschen [stern]
Thanks to Dirk, who once had the opportunity to prevent a liquor store robbery but used the opportunity to guzzle a bottle of wine while the clerk was distracted.
Sep 9 2008 Whee!: Toy Car Runs On Walls, Ceilings
The Air Hog Zero Gravity R/C isn't zero gravity or radio controlled. But it does stick to walls thanks to the vacuum it creates via a little fan in the roof. The 5" car gets about 10 minutes of play time on a 30 minute charge, and is controlled via infrared controller. It'll set you back about $50, but really, what's the purpose? If you have walls -- guess what -- you've probably got a floor too!
Hit the jump for another picture and a video of the fun to be had.
Aug 15 2008 Guy Paints Car Pictures Using RC Cars
Ian Cook is an artist that specializes in painting car portraits using RC cars and wheels instead of brushes. Which, unbeknownst to me, apparently there's a market for. He dips the toy's wheels in paint, and then runs them around on the paper using a radio controller. I've got to admit, the results are pretty damn impressive. Not as impressive as the cat painting I made using nothing but an uncooperative Mr. Whiskers, but still, not bad.
Hit the jump to see a couple more pictures and a video of Ian in action.
May 23 2008 First Person Perspective: R/C Car Comes With Camera And Dorky Looking Goggles
The VTS (Vision Tracking System) R/C car is probably the awesomest R/C vehicle I've seen in a long time (flying lawnmower excluded). The car has an onboard camera attached, which relays real-time video to your goggles so you can race with a first person perspective. Not only that, the camera moves around according to your head movements! Holy shit I want one. Unfortunately each setup (including controller, etc.) will cost you over $1,100. And then you'd have to convince a buddy to dish out the same so you can actually race. Which would be fun as hell, especially since you'll be wearing a pair of goofy-ass goggles and waving your head around like Ray Charles (see video). The goggles do lend themselves to one of my secret racing tactics though -- taking yours off and kicking your opponent in the nuts.
Another picture and a worthwhile VIDEO after the jump, but a heads up -- they set it to a song about some guy whose dog got hit by a truck and wife left him because he loves NASCAR more than her (read: country).
Continue Reading " First Person Perspective: R/C Car Comes With Camera And Dorky Looking Goggles "
Apr 15 2008 RC Car Does 200+ MPH, Is Moderately Fast
This is an older video of a tether car doing 200+ MPH on a circular track. At first I thought the guy in the video was participating in a bat-spin race, but then I realized he was whipping the car around to get it started. Watch the video till the end to see the thing really get up to speed. Pretty impressive. Now I'm not suggesting someone stick their leg out in front of it to see what happens when the car or wire hits it, but for the sake of science it is necessary to know whether you can cut a person's leg clean off with an RC car.
Dec 4 2007 Christmas List: R/C Car Metal Detector
The London Science Museum added metal detecting technology to an R/C car so you can find treasure and have fun at the same time. The car beeps and lights up whenever it nears a metal object. It only costs $83, so I may actually end up getting one. Walking the beach with an old school metal detector is just far too boring for me. Sure I've found several expensive rings, but the women they're attached to usually start screaming before I can get them off.
Metal Detector R/C Car [geekalerts]
Nov 26 2007 Flying 'Robot' Sure To Be A Hit For Christmas
The XPV R.A.D. Robotic Air Defense toy ($65) is billed as an awesome flying robot toy. While the unit does fly, and the figure attached does light up and do some talking, I'm hard pressed to call him a robot. I expect more out of a robot than blinking eyes and missile sounds. However, the thing still seems cool.
Capable of performing amazing aerial stunts. Flight range of over 300 feet. Flies up to 30 MPH and over 20 stories. New, super-light stealth styling inspired by real stealth planes. Twin turbo engine design. Made with impact resistant material. Includes first aid vehicle repair kit. Detachable blaster included. 2 Channel controller.
Not only that, but the thing drives on land and the XPV battery charger can charge other USB devices you may have on you. Whoo-wee! Last Christmas I bought one of those micro-helicopters for myself because no one else loves me. It was pretty fun until I wrecked it in the ceiling fan trying to evade a cat. This year I may treat myself to one of these bad boys and chase squirrels around the yard. Because that's what you do when you have no friends.
Video demonstration after the jump.
Continue Reading " Flying 'Robot' Sure To Be A Hit For Christmas "
Nov 21 2007 Ninja Vs. Pirate: The Battle Rages On
Who's the supreme killer, ninja or pirate? Now you can help settle the debate yourself thanks to these inflatable radio controlled characters from ThinkGeek. They cost $35 for the set and each runs off one 9V battery for the controller, and four AAs for the actual character. Make sure to use these batteries for an unfair advantage. The object is to ram the enemy over, "killing" them. There's a video after the jump which shows a dog attacking them. ZOMG -- Dog vs. Ninja vs. Pirate, I smell a reality series!
Video after the battle.
Nov 9 2007 Radio Controlled Knight Rider KITT Car, Sweet
Finally, your own KITT car, just 1/15 scale. The Knight Industries Two Thousand R/C car comes complete with headlights, flashing red sensor in front, some speech capabilities, and even a "turbo boost" feature. One will set you back around $62, but they're currently sold out because I bought them all. I'm still trying to perfect my "driving the car up a ramp into the back of an 18-wheeler" maneuver. Unfortunately about all I can do is drive the car under the back wheels of an 18-wheeler. I've gone through 20 of these things already. Where's the Hoff when you need him? Oh, right, passed out drunk.
Video after the car jump.
Continue Reading " Radio Controlled Knight Rider KITT Car, Sweet "
Sep 21 2007 Lunar Mining Robot Looks Like Awesome Toy
Scarab, the moon miner, was developed at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon. He's an awesome little guy designed to mine "hydrogen, possibly water, and other volatile chemicals" for use at a future moonbase. I didn't know water was a volatile chemical, but whatever. It runs off solar energy, and when there isn't any, it utilizes a "radioisotope source" for power. Which is good news, because I've been waiting for an RC car that runs off decaying uranium.
[sciencedaily] via [therawfeed]
Aug 21 2007 USB Powered RC Car
Okay, I know there are a lot of useless USB gadgets out there, but I think we can all agree that this one is a must have. It's the Solid Alliance USB powered RC car. You plug the garage into your computer and it charges the car fully in 10 minutes. When you need to make a quick getaway you fire up the Windows based driving application, and blow out of the garage door. The car can only travel about 3 feet from the garage, so someone work on amplifying that signal for me. Oh, and if your girlfriend drives anything like mine, it's best to keep the toy to yourself.
A video reenactment of my girlfriend trying to park in the garage after the jump.
