November 11th, 2009 3:01 PM | by Christen da Costa
This holiday season there will no doubt be an endless barrage of flying toys for your young tyke to take part in. The PicoZ SkyBot Attack, though, looks to be the stuff kids dream of…sort of.
For about $80 US you get a set of flying bots that each sport an on board gunnery system better known as infrared. Fire on your opponent and assuming you make a direct hit, their engines will disengage causing their bot to fall out of the sky.
Each bot comes with its very own 2 channel remote, which also doubles as a recharging base and explains the 5 minute flying time.
Oh yes. I’m going to a haunted corn maze on Friday or a maize maze for those of you who like multi-lingual wordplay, and if this remote controlled bat was part of the show I’d be impressed.
Exactly what you think it is, this 13 gram and 10 inches of wingspan Flying Vampire Bat uses a tiny lithium polymer battery that lasts for 10 minutes for every half hour of charging. This has Halloween prank written all over it.
The controller runs off of 6 whole AA batteries and the whole product costs around $33. To add to the scare tactics the bat also has green LED’s embedded in the eyes for all those unsuspecting Trick-or-Treaters.
This reminds me of something I saw in Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive and I’m sure it will do its best to “kick ass for the lord!”
If you’re planning a trip across the Bering Strait a few summers from now, then you might wanna take a look at the ParaJet Skycar. It’s the world’s first bio-fueled flying car, and if you recall it has already traveled from London to Timbuktu.
Now after many successful flights, its creator has plans to sell the vehicle to the general public. To grab one of the first you’ll have to throw down a £10,000 deposit and then be prepared to spend £50,000 more when it will ship in 2010.
The vehicle is completely street legal and achieves 0-60 mph in just 4.2 seconds and cruises at a top speed of 120mph on land and 70mph in air. Keep in mind you’ll need about 50 to 100 meters of runway for lift off, so if you’re planning to purchase the SkyCar you might wanna look into an estate or remote land opportunities.
Check the videos below for a bit more detail and to see it in action.
Move over parasailing and say hello to the Water Powered Jet Pack! Ok, so its altitude is limited based on the hose length, and you’re pretty much dragging a pump around with you which might not make it ideal for an Ocean. But still, it’s pretty bad ass!
November 18th, 2008 4:06 AM | by Christen da Costa
You gotta love toys you can just pick up and play with. The instructions – what instructions! The R/C Alien Microfly UFO is no more then a balance weight, box cutter knifed Styrofoam and propeller. So, ya, my initial reaction was far from impressed. Worse yet, I had to stuff 6 AA batteries into the remote, which doubles as a charger. Sorry, no rechargeable batteries included. With apprehension, and an almost virtual guarantee that my review of the R/C Alien Microfly UFO would be negative, I set in for lift off.
First attempt: smacked the ceiling and spun out of control. Second attempt: I eased in on the throttle and lift off, albeit for a few seconds. Soon I realized this little RC flyer would take some mastery, something I might just enjoy. Hand eye coordination? Yes please. Come my 5th attempt I was hovering the little neon green flyer like a pro. 75% on the throttle seemed about suitable for my 8 foot ceilings. …Continue reading: Gadget Review: R/C Alien Microfly UFO
September 9th, 2008 4:18 PM | by Christen da Costa
Prototype people, prototype. Crafted from dreams and grid lock frustration, the Autovolantor’s design is based off a Ferrari 599 GTB, just add on wings. The idea is that if you’re stuck in traffic you just flip a switch and take off to free skies. It’s produces lift from 8 fans that run off an electrical engine. Sky milage is pegged at 150 miles while road action would be limited to 40 miles. So far, wind tunnel testing has proved positive.
Apparently, some Russian biz dude commissioned the prototype – it cost $5 million – and if he’s got bank to boot maybe he can bribe regulatory boards into letting him fly his costly death trap.
Here’s a unique toy for the kids. It’s the Interactive Toy VAMP Indoor/Outdoor RC Flying Bat for $40 + Shipping or $45 when your cart reaches that threshold.
Features:
Easy to control RC flying toy
Flies for up to 10 minutes on one charge
Wing really flap and glowing LEDs let you keep track of it at night
Nasa has struggled for years to come up with a jet pack. You know, the thing we all one day hope to strap to our backs and shoot into the sky like superman. Believe it or not, a New Zealand born inventor, a one Glenn Martin, has been tinkering with such a device for over 25 years. It’s now on the verge of coming to complete fruition and with 12 orders at $100k a piece, I’d say he’s completed what one would assume is his life long dream. The two massive engines produce over 600lbs of thrust (200hp combined) and 186mph winds. Inside the engines are Kevlar propellers (I love Kevlar). On a full tank of gas, one gets about 30 minutes of flying time and the tripod legs have built-in shock absorbers to insure a soft landing. No one has flown higher than a few feet, but Martin hopes to have a version that’ll hover 500 feet in six months.
