Sep 28 2009 Crazy: Lockheed Martin's Samurai Monocopter
Monocopters are single-bladed airfoils, best known for falling from maple trees as whirligigs. But this is a radio controlled version developed by Lockheed Martin that actually flies UP instead of only down. I predict robotic versions in the future with really, really sharp blades on them.
Eventually, the SAMARAI project was supposed to produce a nanomonocopter (?) about the same size as a seed pod (on the order of 1.5 inches long and 10 grams in weight), driven by a miniature rocket or jet thruster, able to send back streaming video (that was stabilized somehow), autonavigate, and deliver a 2 gram payload up to a kilometer away. The big version in the video above was a testbed to help engineers figure out just how to get this thing to fly in a stable and controllable manner.
Forget helicopters and monocopters, what ever happened to good old fashioned jetpacks? Because jetpacks, as my Magic 8-Ball just confirmed, are the wave of the future. Just saying, you ever made love to a girl wearing one? Don't do it from behind.
Lockheed Martin SAMARAI UAV Scares Me [botjunkie]
Dec 17 2008 Santa, I've Been Good This Year, I Swear. Fine -- I'm Lying, But, Damnit You Chubby Bastard, I Really Want This R/C Tank
And what an R/C tank it is too! The 6ft, 550lb beast is a 1/4 scale replica of a German King Tiger and operates via two 500-watt, 24 volt motors, capable of pulling a car. Complete with a 2ft gun and functional turret, the tank is clearly ready to destroy at its operator's command. Unfortunately, the wickedness costs $10,230, which means laying siege to your neighbor's house is probably gonna have to wait -- till you can steal their car while they're on vacation! Drive that land-yacht right through the bay window. Extra points if you can park upstairs!
Toy tank will blow your mind [thesun]
Thanks to Richthegringo, who once road a tank into K-Mart and raided the blue-light special.
Dec 15 2008 DIY: R/C Helicopter With .45 Handgun
We've already seen a R/C helicopter with an automatic shotgun attached, but, as the Constitution explicitly states, radio controlled vehicles with firearms attached are everyone's God-given right. Enter the .45 handgun-copter, just in time for the holidays. Which, incidentally, coincide with, uh, squirrel hunting season? And speaking of which, do squirrels shit? And if so, what does it look like? There's a ton of those little arboreal bastards around, but I never see any droppings.
Youtube
Thanks to jason, who once ROFLMAOBBQcoptered the Swedish Bikini Team.
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.
Jul 23 2008 RC Fishing Boat Does The Work For You
Ha, did my boss just catch me playing Solomon's Key on FireNes (note: version 1.1 is out so it may work now for those of you that were having problems) when I was supposed to be making a spreadsheet? Yes, yes he did. Anyway, some Japanese company is selling an RC fishing boat called KAMOME. It does all the work for you, so it's not even like you're fishing anymore, it's like you're driving an RC fishing boat. The 24 pound boat comes with a sonar system for spotting fish, GPS capabilities, and can catch fish up to about 4.5 pounds. The radio controller has a 5" LCD that displays the sonar and other ship data and has a range of about 1/3 of a mile. Unfortunately the damn thing costs over $5,000. So now instead of boring your friends with the story about "the one that got away", you can tell them the one about the Geekologie Writer sinking your $5,000 RC fishing boat.
JAPAN: Radio Controlled Fishing Boat [hobbymedia]
Thanks Francesco, now lets torpedo that sucker, just for the halibut.
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.
Apr 15 2008 Mario Theme Played With RC Car And Bottles
In this world there are two kinds of things: those that are awesome, and those that make me want to kill myself. This is an awesome one. AN AWESOMELY AWsome one. That was me yelling. I know, I'm a little hoarse (but not the kind that kids ride around at birthday parties, those ones smell and shit everywhere. Actually, maybe I am). This is a video of an RC car playing the Super Mario theme by driving by and hitting bottles with a little metal whacker. I've watched it ten times and it's still cool. I can't believe the guy can drive the car that straight. Or that they found an empty parking garage to do it in. The parking garage around here is a scary place. The last time I had to store my car there I saw no less than two vagrants peeing in corners, some raunchy couple doing it in the back of a compact car, and what may or may not have been a dead hooker stuffed under an SUV (I didn't have the courage to poke her with my tire iron).
A big thanks to Daniel and Tombo, both of whom could write books about being cool, for the tips
Apr 10 2008 Paintball Turret Will Keep Kids Off Your Lawn
The EMT Wireless Paintball Sentry Turret is just what I need to keep those damn neighborhood kids off my lawn and out of my flowerbeds.
The $1959 setup includes the paintball turret, a substantial tripod base, CO2 tanks, a color CCD camera with video transmitter and a wireless remote with a nice little 3.5-inch monitor (or a 7.5-inch upgrade pictured above) so you can aim at your unsuspecting victims. The controller's joysticks pan and tilt the turret, and can fire up to 400 paintballs with the push of a button. The whole rig runs on rechargeable batteries and CO2, so you can use it anywhere (although there is a slight up-charge for weatherproofing).
You can even upgrade to a high-res camera, big-screen goggles, and a larger ball hopper. Holy hellfire do I need one of these. Just think of all the fun you could have with those religious zealots that come by trying to pass off their literature. Just kidding, I wouldn't shoot them. I like to see the expressions on their faces when I answer the door pantless with a beer in one hand and my girlfriend's ass in the other. "Ooh, sorry, looks like we caught you at a bad time, we'll just leave this pamphlet here by the door." "Hey honey, show them that trick you do to pick up the dollars when you're stripping."
remote-controlled paintball turret is ready for action [technabob]
Apr 3 2008 This Flying Lawnmower Is The Awesomest Thing I've Seen All Morning Besides My Roommate Running Through The Screen Door
Maybe you've seen this video before, because it's been around for awhile. But you know what? Suck it! *Does that stupid wrestling thing where you X your hands over your genitals* So, yeah, I didn't mean that. Anyway, this lawnmower has a secret. And that secret is the power of flight! It can't cut grass for shit, but I think we can all agree that's a small price to pay for such radical awesomeness. I was so inspired I wrote a poem about it.
Look at the lawnmower fly
High, high up in the sky
It may not cut grass
But that's okay with me
I don't cut the grass anyway
That's why I bought a goat.
*fingers snapping* Thank you, thank you. Honestly though, this thing is sweet. What could be cooler? Nothing. Well, except maybe a flying ride-on mower.
Thanks to Matthew, who doesn't need a lawnmower to fly because he was born with a jetpack, for the tip
Jan 21 2008 R/C Helicopter Is Crazy, Operator Has Skills
This video is pretty old, but I'd never seen it before so I figured there were probably some of you out there that haven't either. It's a video of a guy flying an R/C helicopter and doing the craziest things I've ever seen with it. I thought it was fake at first, but it's real. Can you imagine what it would be like if full-size helicopters flew like that? I can, and it would be a lot like puking uncontrollably.
Thanks to sexy Pete, who is both sexy and Pete, for the video
