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Tag Archives: Remote Control

BMW’s CULTURE Book Features An Integrated RC Car

By Andrew Liszewski on 03/10/11 • Leave a comment!

BMW's CULTURE Book (Images courtesy BMW Group)
By Andrew Liszewski

I can’t decide if this comes across as clever or too gimmicky, but BMW (which are always known for their performance parts, such as the air filter, and exhaust systems) decided to celebrate their 40 years of supporting more than 100 cultural endeavors around the world, so they hired graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister (seen leaving his John Hancock in the top photo) to create a limited edition book simply called CULTURE. Besides appealing to design types, the book should also appeal to BMW enthusiasts, and 5 year old kids, since it features an integrated remote control car as seen in action at the end of this promotional video.

Only 1488 copies of the book are being produced, each one signed by Stefan himself, but don’t excitedly head over to the BMW website just yet since the books won’t actually be available for sale. Presumably they’ll be given away to preferred customers, or those who’ve been a part of the projects actually covered in the book. At the least it’s a unique idea, and makes me hope that NASA does a similar thing…

[ PR - BMW - CULTURE by Stefan Sagmeister ] VIA [ Jalopnik ]

RC Bald Eagle With An Almost 10 Foot Wingspan

By Andrew Liszewski on 02/21/11 • 1 Comment

RC Bald Eagle (Images courtesy Hammacher Schlemmer)
By Andrew Liszewski

I still stand by my opinion that remote control inflatable fish balloons aren’t the most exciting flying toy you can buy these days. I mean there’s a reason there’s no clownfish appearing on the US $1 bill. But you know what you will find on there? A bald eagle! And you know what would make for an awesome flying toy? A remote control bald eagle of course!

This one features an impressive 9 1/2 foot wingspan, and is essentially a glorified kite with a carbon fiber frame and wing struts, and an electric motor strapped to its back. But in lieu of flaps and other control surfaces that are used to control a plane, the electric motor is mounted on a gimbal allowing the thrust to be directed using the included multi-channel remote, which in turn steers the eagle. The remote has a usable range of about 100 feet, and the eagle’s rechargeable lithium battery pack provides about 8 minutes of flight on a 20 minute charge. Not too shabby if the whole kit was around $50-$75, but for $499.95 you can get yourself a far more capable RC plane or helicopter!

[ Remote Control Bald Eagle ]

Headphone Jack Adapter Turns The iPhone Into A Remote For RC Toys

By Andrew Liszewski on 01/25/11 • Leave a comment!

AppToyz Remote Adapter (Images courtesy Pocket-lint)
By Andrew Liszewski

While devices like Sphero or Parrot’s AR.Drone that use the iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote control usually just rely on the device’s built-in wifi or Bluetooth, these AppToyz, from a UK-based company called MediaSauce, use a cheap add-on dongle to communicate over RF I assume.

And instead of interfacing with the dock connector on the bottom of the iPhone or iPod Touch, the AppToyz dongle plugs into the headphone jack which seems to be standard procedure for third-party remote control hardware like this. As a result, when available sometime this year, they’ll be a bit more affordable than something like the AR.Drone with an RC helicopter selling for ~$80 (£50) and an RC car that’s a bit cheaper at ~$47 (£30).

[ Pocket-lint - Apple iPhone, now controller for your RC toys ]

Rotor Concept’s ID1-SWAT RC Helicopter

By Andrew Liszewski on 01/11/11 • 2 Comments

Rotor Concept's ID1-SWAT RC Helicopter (Images property OhGizmo!)
By Andrew Liszewski

While it looks like one of those professional RC helicopters that should only be controlled by an experienced pilot lest someone loses a limb, the ID1-Swat from Rotor Concept’s actually looks as easy to fly as those palm-sized Air Hogs models. At least the demos at their small booth at CES were impressive since the electric chopper effortlessly hovered in the air, even when there was no one at the controls. Thanks to a “state-of-the-art high performance heading hold gyro” if things start to get out of control you just let go of the sticks and the ID1-Swat will level itself and remain hovering where you left it.

Its 11.1V, 1500mAh lithium-polymer battery, which powers two electric motors, is good for about 15 minutes of flight time, and the 4-channel, 2.4GHz remote gives it an impressive flight range of a 1 mile radius and up to 2,000 feet high. And to top it all off there’s even a wireless video camera in the front giving you a first-person view of the entire flight. $499, back-ordered until mid-February.

[ Rotor Concept ID1-SWAT RC Helicopter ]

Have 1/16 As Much Fun As Ken Block Does With This RC Version Of His #43 Ford Fiesta

By Andrew Liszewski on 12/27/10 • Leave a comment!

Ken Block's RC Ford Fiesta (Image courtesy Traxxas)
By Andrew Liszewski

Ken Block’s Gymkhana videos have racked up millions and millions of views, and quite frankly they look like just about as much fun as anyone can have with a car. And while you can head out to your local Ford dealer and pick up a Fiesta for yourself, it unfortunately won’t come with the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of improvements needed to pull off those Gymkhana tricks. So what’s the next best thing? Why a 1/16-scale version of course!

Out of the box this miniature version of Ken Block’s ride features all the livery and graphics of the full-scale version, and is capable of hitting 30mph+ with the included battery. And if you get the optional upgrade which includes a second battery, pinion gear and speed connector, you can push that to 50mph+. It’s 4WD too allowing you to pull off a lot of the same stunts that Ken does (including shallow depth-of-field promo videos as seen below) but since you’re driving a safe distance away via a wireless controller, you never have to worry about protective gear or even wearing a helmet.

And while it won’t cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars, or a new set of tires after every run, you can still expect to pay about $300+ for this mini Fiesta, not including the controller.

[ Traxxas Ken Block's RC Ford Fiesta ] VIA [ Autoblog ]

RC Racing Team’s Controller Does Double Duty

By Andrew Liszewski on 12/07/10 • Leave a comment!

RC Racing Team (Images courtesy Hammacher Schlemmer)
By Andrew Liszewski

The world of racing isn’t all about fast cars you know. There’s a lot of important stuff that goes on before and after a race, like transporting the vehicles to the next venue. So this RC Racing Team set lets your kid experience both the exciting thrills of race day, and the monotonously boring, long-haul drives that come in-between those events. What’s cool about this set though is that the pistol grip controller includes a toggle switch so that it can be used to either control the transport truck, or the race car. Though I’m pretty sure I know which vehicle is going to rack up the miles on the odometer. $79.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer.

[ Remote Controlled Race Team ]

TRex Indoor RC Helicopter With Cruise Control

By Andrew Liszewski on 11/19/10 • 1 Comment

TRex Indoor RC Helicopter (Image courtesy Toys.Brando.com)
By Andrew Liszewski

Those tiny indoor RC helicopters have remained popular for a few years now, and while being able to fly one around your living room is what makes them fun, apparently some pilots don’t want to put in the effort. So the TRex, available from Brando for a mere $37.90, includes a hands-free mode. Using the included IR remote you hit a ‘record’ button and then pilot the helicopter through a series of maneuvers. After that the helicopter will replay the same flight over and over without requiring you to do so much as look up from the TV. Fun!

Like with any of the miniature RC vehicles on the market the TRex can be charged from the remote, or plugged into a computer’s USB port which should conserve the 6xAAs inside the controller. It also seems to provide more bang for your buck than the choppers you’ll find at most toy stores with a metal housing, full forward, back left and right steering and even a turbo speed mode when you don’t feel like delaying the inevitable collision.

[ TRex Indoor RC Helicopter ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

Kyosho Egg – Flying/Driving RC Toy

By Andrew Liszewski on 11/17/10 • Leave a comment!

Kyosho Egg - Flying/Driving RC Toy (Images courtesy the Japan Trend Shop)
By Andrew Liszewski

Isn’t progress a wonderful thing? Diseases get cured, we continue to unlock the secrets of the universe AND we no longer have to choose between playing with an RC car or an RC helicopter! The Egg from Kyosho combines the best of both worlds into a single RC toy that’s safe to play with indoors. Of course from the looks of things in this video it’s really just an RC helicopter with a set of unpowered wheels thrown on, so ‘driving’ it around is basically akin to flying it at ground level, but that doesn’t make it look any less fun. I mean look at the faces of the family in this video!

While probably readily available in Japan, the Kyosho Egg can be purchased in North America via the Japan Trend Shop for $91. And if you happen to have a few spare minutes this morning, make sure to visit its official website which is a real assault on the eyes.

[ Kyosho Egg - Flying/Driving RC Toy ]

Remote Control Football/Soccer Shoes

By Andrew Liszewski on 08/26/10 • 1 Comment

Remote-Controlled Football Shoes (Image courtesy Pro-Idee)
By Andrew Liszewski

Whether you refer to it as football or soccer, or shoes or boots, this set of remote control cleats is clearly trying to capitalize on the popularity of the World Cup, though it’s kind of missed its window. Each ‘boot’ is driven by four wheels and can be steered in any direction with an included wireless remote, and you can expect to get a pretty decent 2 hours of playtime on a set of 4 x AA batteries. Also included is a plastic scoop accessory that can be attached for beginners who aren’t used to pushing a small plastic ball around with a remote control shoe. Ugh, n00bs! $76+ (£49.50) for a set of 2 from Pro-Idee.

[ Remote-Controlled Football Boot ]

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