Robotic Gaming Up Ahead

"...the robotic gaming concept has vast potential which is sure to be realized." so says Tom Dusenberry, President and Director of Robonica and former CEO of Hasbro Interactive.

Robonica could be the the next step of toys and entertainment. Robonica, a start-up focused on developing new forms of robotic entertainment, is set to launch its new product offering titled, “The Rise of Robotic Gaming.” The robotic games will fuse robotics, R/C vehicles and electronic gaming and stand apart with meaningful and structured game play.

The introductory product from this offering is Roboni-i Action Games. The creator of this innovative toy is Johan Poolman. A seasoned veteran and entrepreneur, Poolman says Robonica is looking to make the next step in entertainment robotics.

"Robonica was born out of frustration - frustration with the inability of the current generation of radio-controlled and robotic toys to provide any form of structured and interactive play, and frustration with the increasingly anti-social and intangible realities of video games," said Poolman, an information technology expert who is pioneering the robotic gaming concept. "Our sole purpose is to explore new frontiers and provide the world with meaningful and entertaining forms of robotic entertainment. Robotic gaming is the evolutionary 'next step' for entertainment robotics."

Roboni-i is the first entertainment robot with unlimited play patterns. It features 16 sensors, four processors, RF remote control and Zigbee peer-to-peer RF protocol allowing for competitive game play with real-world robots. Simply put, this is one intelligent robot. It comes with accessories and six action games allowing for real-world robotic game play. Users will be able to work as a tandem or against each other.

Furthermore, connecting it to a computer turns the Roboni-i into a wireless receiver. According to the company this will allow users to, “enter a virtual world where they can create profiles, participate in virtual missions, play online games and interact with friends who are online at the same time.” Once launched, Roboni-I will be available online at ToysRUs.Com and on other popular websites.

"We believe there is a strong and urgent need to provide a meaningful, repeat-play alternative in the entertainment robotic and R/C product categories," said Tom Dusenberry, President and Director of Robonica and former CEO of Hasbro Interactive. "As such, the robotic gaming concept has vast potential which is sure to be realized."

SOURCE : http://www.technology-digital.com/

SCHUMACHER Mi3 : Fastest R/C Car in the World

The car features an 11 horsepower remote controlled motor and a 12 cell battery pack which would normally be found in remote controlled airplanes.



The case for the car was handmade from
carbon fiber, and it was designed to be aerodynamic, and it features an all wheel drive system for increased traction.







Here's a clip of the Schumacher Mi3 burning rubber on the track.



SOURCE : www.geeky-gadgets.com

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GRAVITY-DEFYNG RC Cars by 2010?

GRAVITY-DEFYNG RC Cars by 2010? You got it. A company is said to be in the stage of developing this sort of RC Car Prototype. RC Afficionados, read on. This is gotta be something

MajicWheels Enters Final Prototype Development

Remote-Controlled Cars Defy Gravity by Traversing Walls and Ceilings; Cars to be Offered to the Global Commercial Toy Market in 2010

MajicWheels Inc. (OTCBB: MJWL), a leading developer of gravity defying remote-controlled toy cars, announced today that the company has entered the final stages of prototype development. The company plans to offer MajicWheels to the worldwide commercial toy market in 2010.

At www.youtube.com/majicwheels, watch the vehicle prototype climb walls and ride across ceilings.

MajicWheels utilizes patented technology that enables its remote-controlled cars to traverse a variety of surfaces, including those that are steeply inclined, completely vertical, or even inverted altogether. The products perform these feats while most other traditional toy cars are limited to flat surfaces.

"MajicWheels is going to offer functionality that children-and even adults-only wish that their current remote-controlled cars could achieve," said MajicWheels CEO Asher Zwebner. "While most cars just start spinning their wheels helplessly at the base of a wall, for MajicWheels that is where the fun begins. MajicWheels climbs walls and ceilings, leaving most remote-controlled cars behind."

"We are pleased that our prototype has entered the final development stages and look forward to offering our products in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes in 2010," Zwebner added.

SOURCE : www.tradingmarkets.com

GEARS OF WAR 2 : Return of the Remote-Controlled Centaur Tank (in BEST BUY) !!!

I guess this is one of the benefits of being an internet addict. You always get updated or you will most likely know how to answer What's Up? questions. But it just got better. This could be mind-blowing to Remote-control (toys) freaks. A couple of days ago GAMINGBITS.COM just posted (by Alexis M.) that Gears of War 2 Remote Control Centaur Tank are back on the shelves of BEST BUY for 10 buck$.

See article below:

Gears of War 2 Remote Control Centaur Tank Resurfaces For $10
Written by Alexis M. (Rivithed)
Sunday, 01 February 2009

Remember the exclusive Best Buy Gears of War 2 Centaur Tank? The toy remote control tank was available exclusively from Best Buywith orders of the Limited Edition. Did you miss out on getting one? Check your local Best Buy stores, as some are re-surfacing on shelves for $9.99. Yup, Best Buy is selling them now, likely to be the last of their stock. Not a bad deal for fans of the game. The remote control Centaur Tank operates on 3 AAA batteries and one 9-volt battery in the remote control.

See another shot of it below. This one was spotted with about 8 others in a Miami, Florida Best Buy. Let us know if you've spotted them in your area!

SOURCE : GAMINGBITS.COM

Bossa Nova Prime-8 robot can outrun a fat child

I read this article from slashgear.com. Personally, it seems kinda cute for a robot to have a music genre for a name. However, some people, specifically mothers might be offended comparing this toy to a fat child judging by the title.
Below is the article. Reader, have a good time reading.

Bossa Nova Prime-8 robot can outrun a fat child

Thursday, Jan 29th 2009 by Chris Davies



Right now WowWee might be the name most associated with domestic “toy” robots, but rival Bossa Nova is looking to steal some of that market share. The company has been demonstrating the Bossa Nova Prime-8, an ape-themed ‘bot that they claim is the fastest bi-ped robot to date. How fast? Well, potentially faster than a small child.

“It can run as fast as a small child. That makes it ideal for getting kids to exercise as they can race against it in the park” Prime-8’s inventor

Two huge circular arms are used to get Prime-8 moving, and though Bossa Nova haven’t released any specific speed details we’d imagine a very fast indoor rate if it can manage to chase kids on park grass. As is usual with today’s ‘bots, Prime-8 can either be remote-controlled or, when you’d rather leave him to his own devices, there are autonomous routines and games.

An integrated motion sensor lets the robot act as a room guard, plus there are games such as Prime-8 pretending to be a bowling ball. It’s expected to cost around £100 ($143) when it launches in time for Christmas 2009.

SOURCE : http://www.slashgear.com/

Changi Airport uses remote-controlled cars to prevent bird strikes

Recently, if you could remember recently that an airplane had to land on a sea or some sort of body of water (which name escapes me) was caused by a flock of birds. in mid-air they got caught in the engine on one wing of the plane and consequently had it busted, jeopardizing the lives of the passengers.

Birds are commonly used by some airline companies to represent a wonderful flight with them, but this one definitely contradicts that thought.

Airports utilize a number of procedures to make their runways free from avian danger.
Belowis one of them.



Changi designed to prevent bird strikes
By Karamjit Kaur, Aviation Correspondent



BIRDS do not like Changi Airport. By design there are no fruit trees, no colourful flowers, no long grass, and those that arrive are scared off or shot down.

According to a Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore spokesman, while pilots do occasionally report flying into birds in the vicinity, they 'do not cause significant problems' at Changi Airport.

The RSAF uses devices such as remote-controlled cars with loudspeakers to scare away birds.

Unlike the incident involving a US Airways Airbus A-320 on Jan 15, when bird strikes caused a plane to make a dramatic landing on the Hudson River in New York, Singapore has never had a serious accident caused by birds.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) also uses a number of devices to scare away birds at Singapore's military airports, including remote-controlled toy trucks that broadcast sounds of birds in distress, barking dogs or ear-splitting screams. The birds are startled without being harmed.

Bird strikes usually occur during take-off and landing, although birds can strike even at higher altitudes, said Captain Ajmer Singh, vice-president (technical) of the Air Line Pilots Association-Singapore.

When birds are spotted on the runway, pilots waiting to take off or land will simply wait for them to be cleared.
If that is not possible, the pilot can reduce the speed of the plane.

'At high speeds, the impact of a bird strike can be a lot more serious,' he said.

'Also, the bigger the bird, the greater the impact.'

At cruising altitude, there is little that pilots can do except to stay alert when air traffic controllers and other pilots report seeing birds in the vicinity.

Capt Singh has encountered 10 to 15 bird strikes in his 17-year flying career, but none was serious enough to damage the aircraft or require a turnaround.

'You sometimes see the birds coming or you may hear a loud thud which indicates something has hit the plane,' he said.

'In such cases, the drill is to monitor all systems to ensure no damage has been caused, and to report the matter.'

Bird-strike testing is one of the many tests aircraft are put through by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States to ensure that they are fit to be used commercially.

Once certified, the aircraft are then considered to meet international standards.

US-based aircraft engine maker General Electric is reported to use a variety of bird carcasses to test its engines at its Peebles, Ohio test centre. The dead birds can weigh anything from half a kg to more than 3kg.

Aviation experts have said that bird strikes do not usually lead to serious incidents.

Between 1990 and 2007, civilian pilots reported 79,972 bird strikes to the FAA; eight of the strikes resulted in a total of 11 deaths.



SOURCE : travel.asiaone.com