Since we’re big geeks here at SlashGear, we’re allowed to get unduly excited at the first inklings of WowWee’s upcoming holiday range. The toy and robotics company has revealed their latest ad campaigns for their new remote-controlled gadgets, including an update on the FlyTech Dragonfly, the CrashFX plane we saw back in April and a mini UFO with LED messaging.
Video demos after the cut
Robot-maker WowWee’s latest toy has been previewed, and if piloting their Bladestar helicopter left you in fear of your walls, lights and pets, then the WowWee Hoverpod should prove a little more manageable. A micro-hovercraft made from impact-resistant EPP foam, the Hoverpod uses WowWee’s usual IR remote for controlling and recharging.
Details of the latest remote control aircraft in WowWee’s FlyTech range have emerged, describing a plane that’s begging to be crashed into the ground. The WowWee FlyTech CrashFX is of a more traditional design than, say, the WowWee Dragonfly, but uses a new Easi-Snap system whereby the wings and tail section are designed to be easily broken off and then quickly clipped back on.
WowWee’s Tri-Bot is still down at eToys for official US release on August 21st, but an eagle-eyed visitor to a Radio Shack near San Francisco has spotted the omni-directional robot already on the shelves. There’s currently no sign of Tri-Bot on Radio Shack’s online store, and it’s still listed for pre-order at WowWee’s.
Put down these internets and get your rump to Radio Shack. WowWee’s decidedly-cool Dragonfly flying robot is finally on sale, and for the bargainous price of $49.99. Yeah, you heard me, fifty bucks with a cent for the savings. It flaps, it soars, it dive-bombs and glides – and if you crash it, it should bounce back unharmed thanks to the fudge-it friendly carbon-fiber body and flexible wings.
Our sources tell us that while for now it’s a Radio Shack exclusive, other retailers will be able to offer it in a months time.
Radio Shack [via Robots Rule]
If the last video of the WowWee Dragonfly Robot got you salivating, how about another from the makers themselves? Taking off from a meeting table and then fluttering around a selection of their other robots, it’s hard to believe that this is going to be a commercially-available toy.
It turns out that credit for the original design must go to a high-school student – and now part of the WowWee team – Sean Frawley, who will in fact sell you the plans for his elastic-band powered Ornithopter kit for a mere twenty bucks.
I can’t wait to have a go of this myself!
Robots Rule [via Street Tech]
While lacking the poison barb of Israel’s Bionic Hornet, the latest robot to emerge from WowWee’s stable is nonetheless impressive (and far less likely to spark international tensions). The FlyTech Dragonfly is the first robot to remain airborne via flapping its wings, as opposed to tiny propellers or jets, managing a 150 foot range and recharging on a perch atop the remote control for up to 15 minutes of frenetic flight. It’ll be available early next year.
The guys at T3, from where this video hailed (and who seem to have an office devoid of desks, chairs or anything else), have also unearthed news that WowWee have a giant robot spider in the pipeline. Hopefully that’s not the pipeline that leads to your bathplug…
SlashGear Japan
