real6
25-02-2008, 06:39 PM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/2-24-08-solar-dragonfly.jpg
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/25/solar-powered-dragonfly-throws-ball-back-in-wowwees-court/
Solar-powered dragonfly throws ball back in WowWee's court
Posted Feb 25th 2008 7:55AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Robots
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/wowwee-dragonfly-1.jpg
Make no mistake, our hearts were fluttering when we finally witnessed WowWee's FlyTech Dragonfly buzzing about, but there's just something about this creature that really wins us over. Designed and constructed by James G. Watt, this robotic insect reportedly includes a number of solar cells which provide enough power in sunlight to make the critter's wings flap. Granted, we aren't told whether or not it's mighty enough to deliver loves notes in math class, but we're digging the concept, regardless.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/121606---wowwee-dragonfly.jpg
We've already seen some first impressions of WowWee's newly-launched FlyTech Dragonfly "toy," but PC Magazine has now thankfully provided a slightly more in-depth review for those of us more curious about the little critter's capabilities. As you might expect, they found it to be "loads of fun," with easy to use controls and a surprisingly durable design, which helped the unit withstand a number of head-on collisions with the walls and floor. The unit's downsides are also about what you'd expect, with a wide open space with no wind pretty much required to fly it. They also found that it took a bit of effort to extract the charging cable from the Dragonfly's body, which you'll have to do fairly frequently as you'll only get about seven minutes of flying time on each charge. We somehow doubt that'll be a deal-breaker for most, however, especially given that it only costs fifty bucks.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/wowwee-dragonfly-3.jpg
Where would we be without the FCC? Our favorite leaksters just let slip the latest RC creation from Wowwee, the FlyTech Dragonfly, which Wowwee bills as the "world's first radio-controlled flying insect." The Dragonfly flies by flapping its ultra-light wings, and can be used indoors and outdoors. Power is provided by an internal battery which can provide around 10 minutes of flying time, and can be recharged by perching the Dragonfly on the controller, which sports six AA batteries and can charge the RC insect in around 15 minutes. The wings and rear propellor (which is used to control "trim," all helicopter-style) are user-replaceable, but for the most part the bug is fairly crash resistant. There's around 150 feet of wireless range, along with "beginner" and "expert" control modes. In traditional Wowwee style, there are plenty of LEDs involved, informing the user of battery life, controller status and other fun things, but unfortunately there's not a whole lot of "robot" going on here. And of course, there's no word on price or availability yet, since this just hit the FCC. Wowwee at least has a few kinks to work out of its manual, since the FCC version of which still includes the line, "Note: When using the FlyTech Dragonfly, some adult supervision is required." Followed by the parenthetical: "Do we need this here? Is QC requiring it?" We're sure that once they figure out that whole "will it destroy children" sitch, this thing won't be far from retail shelves. Peep the controller and a features diagram after the break.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/wowwee-dragonfly-2.jpg
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/25/solar-powered-dragonfly-throws-ball-back-in-wowwees-court/
Solar-powered dragonfly throws ball back in WowWee's court
Posted Feb 25th 2008 7:55AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Robots
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/wowwee-dragonfly-1.jpg
Make no mistake, our hearts were fluttering when we finally witnessed WowWee's FlyTech Dragonfly buzzing about, but there's just something about this creature that really wins us over. Designed and constructed by James G. Watt, this robotic insect reportedly includes a number of solar cells which provide enough power in sunlight to make the critter's wings flap. Granted, we aren't told whether or not it's mighty enough to deliver loves notes in math class, but we're digging the concept, regardless.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/121606---wowwee-dragonfly.jpg
We've already seen some first impressions of WowWee's newly-launched FlyTech Dragonfly "toy," but PC Magazine has now thankfully provided a slightly more in-depth review for those of us more curious about the little critter's capabilities. As you might expect, they found it to be "loads of fun," with easy to use controls and a surprisingly durable design, which helped the unit withstand a number of head-on collisions with the walls and floor. The unit's downsides are also about what you'd expect, with a wide open space with no wind pretty much required to fly it. They also found that it took a bit of effort to extract the charging cable from the Dragonfly's body, which you'll have to do fairly frequently as you'll only get about seven minutes of flying time on each charge. We somehow doubt that'll be a deal-breaker for most, however, especially given that it only costs fifty bucks.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/wowwee-dragonfly-3.jpg
Where would we be without the FCC? Our favorite leaksters just let slip the latest RC creation from Wowwee, the FlyTech Dragonfly, which Wowwee bills as the "world's first radio-controlled flying insect." The Dragonfly flies by flapping its ultra-light wings, and can be used indoors and outdoors. Power is provided by an internal battery which can provide around 10 minutes of flying time, and can be recharged by perching the Dragonfly on the controller, which sports six AA batteries and can charge the RC insect in around 15 minutes. The wings and rear propellor (which is used to control "trim," all helicopter-style) are user-replaceable, but for the most part the bug is fairly crash resistant. There's around 150 feet of wireless range, along with "beginner" and "expert" control modes. In traditional Wowwee style, there are plenty of LEDs involved, informing the user of battery life, controller status and other fun things, but unfortunately there's not a whole lot of "robot" going on here. And of course, there's no word on price or availability yet, since this just hit the FCC. Wowwee at least has a few kinks to work out of its manual, since the FCC version of which still includes the line, "Note: When using the FlyTech Dragonfly, some adult supervision is required." Followed by the parenthetical: "Do we need this here? Is QC requiring it?" We're sure that once they figure out that whole "will it destroy children" sitch, this thing won't be far from retail shelves. Peep the controller and a features diagram after the break.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/REAL6/Misc/wowwee-dragonfly-2.jpg