TFTS - Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities » Radio Controlled

iPhone-enabled Wheelchairs Coming Soon [Wheelchair Company to Release iPhone App]

Kevin Schram — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:39:20 +0000

iPhone apps are getting more and more niche all the time. Dynamic Controls, a company that specializes in wheelchair control units, unveiled an iPhone app that lets wheelchair users control their electronic wheelchairs via an iPhone or iPod Touch.

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Takara Tommy Hover Q Mini RC Hovercraft [Palm Sized Hovercraft Beats RC Housefly, No Question]

Andrew Tingle — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:58:57 +0000

Having chatted at some length to my writers here on TFTS about what is and what isn’t prime material for content here on the site – netbooks, phones, you get the picture – I’m now going to set an especially poor example by posting about this Takara Tommy Hover Q Mini RC Hovercraft which, for some reason, particularly appeals to me and the posting of which has allowed for one of the most curious post titles on the site for, well, at least a few minutes (I’m up against a couple of pros here, so I don’t fancy my chances long term).

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Takara Tomy QFO Micro Remote Controlled UFO [Ultra Terrestrial Take on the Picco Z]

Andrew Tingle — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:46:24 +0000

Way back when we were barely established (and we are now, right?) we not only featured the Picco Z but we actually gave them away, but what if you’re looking for a micro remote controlled ariel vehicle that has a somewhat out of this world flavour? This QFO micro remote controlled UFO from Takara Tomy may just be the answer.

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Slamjam Sparkler Remote Controlled Car Concept [Remote Multi Torch Vehicle]

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 12:14:26 +0000

If you’re looking for a remote controlled car that’s sure to light the way in any darkened room, this curious and highly whimsical concept remote controlled car designed by Slamjam, and known as the Sparkler, will undoubtedly excel with its multitude of mounted LED torches that are certain to bath anything in the cars path in a halo of blinding illumination.

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This Air Hog Zero Gravity R/C Will Drive You Up The Wall – Literally!

Bo — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 21:39:46 +0000

We’ve all heard the saying, “Driving me up the wall!” which is something your sibling or boss can do to you … but now you can literally drive up the wall by yourself! That’s right … The Air Hog Zero Gravity R/C defies all that we know from our good friend, Newton!

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Snelflight VTOL Jump Jet RC Aircraft – The Vectored Thrust Micro RC Aircraft You Can Land On Your Hand [Video]

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:27:30 +0000

Following on from the previously featured Picoo Z Micro RC Helicopter and the recently featured Top Gun F-22 Raptor MicroFighter, both of which, in our own little way, we got fairly excited about we now have a micro RC aircraft that undoubtedly wins outright in terms of sheer controllability and that all important fun factor in the form of this Snelflight VTOL Jump Jet RC Aircraft.

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Top Gun RC F-22 Raptor MicroFighter Aircraft (Move Over Picco Z)

Andrew Tingle — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:32:37 +0000

Whilst we are great fans of the Picco Z micro RC helicopter we cannot help but think that this Top Gun RC MicroFighter, which is also constructed from PSP foam ensuring that, just like the Picco Z, it can take more than its fair share of unintentional impacts, looks like it could raise the bar considerably in terms of sheer unadulterated fun.

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iFly Vamp Remote Controlled Bat – The RC Ornithopter With Glowing Eyes for Gothics

Andrew Tingle — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:04:25 +0000

Whilst we have never personally ever seen a Goth in charge of any remote controlled vehicle (certainly not before the witching hour at any rate) there’s no reason not to suppose that there are Goths out there to whom this remote controlled alien bat with glowing eyes, known as the Vamp, might appeal – if only to serve as another worldly procession not to get in any way excited about.

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Roboboa Robot Snake Update – Roboboa Now Available in US

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:08:47 +0000

You may recall that several months ago we posted about Roboboa, the AI robotic snake from WowWeee – makers of Robosapien – which, apart from offering everything you would expect from a robotic snake, also offers a few intriguing secondary functions such as a motion detecting angle poise desk lamp and even a child safety light – well now it’s available in the US.

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Video – MicroDrone Spy in the Sky Surveillance Platform

Andrew Tingle — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:43:12 +0000

We’re a little late in posting about this particular gadget but, whereas ordinarily we’d simply not post about something already so widely covered, the MicroDrone remote surveillance drone from German company MicroDrones GmbH genuinely gets our pulses racing – besides that, it’s guaranteed to feature in TFTS on the premise that ‘if it flies it’s in’.

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Great Office Gadgets – USB Mini Cooper Desktop Remote Controlled Car

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:20:03 +0000

If you work in a busy office sometimes you just need to kick back and take five to bring your stress levels down and, to that end, we don’t doubt that this tiny Mini Cooper USB remote controlled car could prove to be a great stress buster as you send it around a race track marked out on your desk with paper clips before attempting a jump hastily improvised from a ruler shored up by your stapler.

The Mini Cooper desktop RC car comes complete with its own charging garage that connects to your PC via USB, and is controlled, not by a hand-held controller, but by an interface on your VDU.

Headed towards the infamous ‘Eraser Hairpin’

(not to scale)

The car itself, steered via an on screen steering wheel, comes with six degrees of directional control (enabling you to practice parallel parking between your in trays as you deal with another customer complaint) as well as a one meter range of operation – which is more than enough for your average desk – and, if you really want to bypass promotion again, you can turn up your speakers to hear the accompanying engine sounds.

Admittedly, as far as gadgets go it’s hardly rocket science but, as an office gadget it certainly looks like enormous fun.

The USB Mini Cooper Desktop Remote Controlled Car retails for ¥3480, which is approximately $30 / £14 / €21 excluding shipping.

Alternatively, if driving a tiny Mini Cooper around your desk doesn’t quite do it for you and you happen to be a footie fan then you may be interested in these Mr Soccer Desktop Football Bots.

Bizarre Remote Controlled Rechargeable Housefly

Andrew Tingle — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 01:07:27 +0000

We can say, with some confidence, that this is one of the most bizarre remote controlled gadgets we are ever likely to come across as quite why anyone in their right mind would want to own an RC housefly is quite beyond us. That said, we don’t doubt that the scope for comedy moments (landing it on Aunt Agnus’s slice of fruit cake just as she’s about to tuck in, for example) will appeal to many.

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WowWee RoboBoa – The Dancing AI Robot Python

Andrew Tingle — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:41:28 +0000

Whilst few would agree that RoboBoa is the most attractive of AI pets currently available, few of RoboBoa’s peers can boast quite the level of functionality offered by this robotic Python.Naturally, as seems to be an obligatory requirement of all robots these days, RoboBoa will dance to your favourite tunes whilst flashing its eyes and he will even dance to your MP3 play lists thanks to a built in audio jack (cable not supplied). RoboBoa also offers an ‘Explore Mode’ whereby it will scan the room and move around interacting with everything in its path (i.e., head-butting the wife’s foot repeatedly).

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Great Office Gadgets – Mr Soccer Desktop Football Bots

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:48:50 +0000

The moment we came across these mini football robots we couldn’t help but draw comparisons with the previously featured Hex Bugs though, unlike the Hex Bugs, these are not autonomous but instead rely on remote control units in order to strut their stuff on their mini football pitch.

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Remote Controlled Beer Delivery Buggy

Andrew Tingle — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 10:00:41 +0000

Drinking and driving, as in whilst under the influence, is not something we condone here at TFTS but in the case of this Remote Controlled Beverage Buggy we cannot help but make an exception.

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Video – The 1.34 Gram Indoor Remote Control Plane

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:57:04 +0000

Weighing in at a mere 1.34 grams, which is considerably lighter than the Carbon Butterfly (which is already lighter than its equivalent size in paper), this indoor remote control aircraft, which comes complete with its own means of propulsion in the form of a propeller, is crafted from painstakingly shaved balsa wood and extremely thin aluminium foil.

Only one slight drawback as, from what we can gather, the plane has no rudder, elevator or aileron control so is only able to circle the room – albeit rather gracefully. Additionally, with its diminutive weight in mind, it’s reserved for indoor use only as even the slightest of breezes could reap devastating results.

You can view the 1.34 gram remote control aircraft in action in the video featured below.

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Radio Controlled Fish Locating Radar Boat

Andrew Tingle — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 03:54:11 +0000

Is this the ultimate fishing gadget?

As any fisherman will know, one of the primary keys to landing a successful catch is knowing where the fish actually are and now, thanks to this extremely cool radio controlled radar enabled fishing gadget, you can call on technology to lend a helping hand.

Coming complete with a handheld controller featuring a 5.7 inch LCD radar display, and an endurance of 1.5 hours (on continuous power), this radio controlled fishing boat will help you locate the fish using its onboard radar unit (as well as reporting a host of supplementary information such as exact its co-ordinates, the water temperature and present water depth) and, once the fish are found, the one meter long vessel (yes you read that right) can release its fishing line via a rod attached to the back thus ensuring that the bait is delivered with complete precision into the target area.

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The RC Video Spy Car

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 15:29:54 +0000

Sometimes our inherently inquisitive natures can take over and we end up spying on people just in order to know what they’re up to – but this isn’t necessarily malicious (though of course it can be).

For instance, when my wife and myself are food shopping I have been known to spy on her just to see what she is putting into the trolley on the basis that if I am to be poisoned by her culinary exploits during the rest of the week it is often nice to be able to know the actual ingredients in advance so that I can work on developing an aversion to them prior to them being presented to me in a form that can loosely be described as a meal. )It really comes down to a matter of survival).

And whilst I am sure it would look rather odd if I were to go shopping with her with this video enabled spy car this clever device surely has its uses – if only to chase after the cat.

Capable of transmitting images remotely from a distance of 75 feet the Wild Planet Spy Video Car also offers night vision capabilities so that you can drive into all manner of otherwise compromising situations whilst starting agog at the headset screen supplied.

You can gain further details concerning this product by clicking here, however, as most of us know, some things are better left unseen.

RC Mexican Redknee Tarantula

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 17:09:10 +0000

Spiders – you either love them or hate them and, I’m ashamed to say, if they’re any bigger than a coin then I won’t go near them, and if they’re big enough to be able to see their eyes then I’m off to a hotel for the night. Luckily the wife is fairly fearless when it comes to creepy crawlies so she tends to pop them out of the window. That said, on a trip to Australia a couple of years back we came across a spider that was of sufficient size to turn the tables on her and it threw her out of the window (I would have put a stop to its antics, but I was frozen to the spot).

But I digress, so let’s get back to this 6.6 inch RC Mexican Redknee Tarantula which not only scuttles convincingly enough across the floor to have your granny shivering behind the sofa but it also has eyes that light up (eek!).

If you’re a practical joker then this is bound to appeal and it can be yours for a mere $24.95 from the TFTS Online shop – which can be accessed via the main menu bar above or directly via this link. Just don’t bring it anywhere near me.

Make Your Own RC Guinea Pig

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 20:14:36 +0000

Quite why anyone would want to resurrect a deceased Guinea Pig by turning it into a remotely controlled device wholly eludes me, but in this curious video your Dutch host, known as Tinkebell, offers instructions as to how this can be achieved with a step by step walk-through which, thankfully, does not include the gory bits.

The video is not in English but the instructions are abundantly clear and serve to show how, with a little tinkering, your dearly departed Guinea Pig can once again roam the land (albeit on all wheels) using nothing more that a disposable teddy bear, an RC vehicle and a bizarre desire to turn a dead animal into a RC vehicle.

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Picoo Z – The World’s Smallest RC Helicopter

Andrew Tingle — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 23:42:37 +0000

The moment I came across this product my heart skipped a beat. Now this could be due to one of two things, the first being that I’m soon to depart this mortal coil and the second – which, frankly, is my personal preference – being that this is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in at least the last few hours.

The Picoo Z remote controlled helicopter is not only the lightest commercially available RC helicopter in the world, but it is also the smallest – being no bigger than the palm of your hand – which means that you can fly it around your front room, or even upstairs (no doubt on a secret CIA mission extract the wife from the laundry basket).

What seals this for me, however, is the price – which came as quite a surprise.

You can read more about this rather wonderful device, as well as view a video of it in action, after the jump.

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Spread Your Wings with the Cybird

Andrew Tingle — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:02:16 +0000

Although we have featured a number of remote controlled aircraft and helicopters in Thoughts from the Sidelines there can be no doubt that this device, manufactured by the South Korean company Neuros, is a little different from your standard flying model as it is neither a plane nor a helicopter.

No, the Cybird is exactly what you would expect it to be in that it is a remotely piloted bird, complete with flapping wings, which is real enough in nature to be all too readily identified as being one of their own by its real, feathered counterparts – though the welcome extended to this curious beast is not always especially hospitable, as can be seen in the video featured below.

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