Humans seem drawn to things they don’t fully understand. That’s why we have a hunger to explore the stars, and why it’s almost impossible for us to put down magnetic toys. The makers of those wildly popular Nanodot magnets have a new obsession for you: a magnet-powered gyroscopic sphere that has no real purpose besides holding our attention for hours on end.
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Have you ever wondered just how much trouble a parent has to go through in order to figure out just what to get for their little ones each year at Christmas? Not only that, it would not be nice to purchase the same old thing every single year, which means one will need to be extremely creative when it comes to getting the latest gifts. It is basically big business during the holiday season with gift giving approaching a natural peak, and the folks over at WowWee are all geared up for the occasion by introducing the RoboMe, a toy that allows you to “robo-fy” yourself.
WowWee has had some hits in the past such as the Robosapien and the Roboraptor, where RoboMe will now be the latest addition that fuses both personality and technology. In a nutshell, RoboMe is a completely customizable robotic avatar that will fall back on your iPhone or iPod touch to make it all the more interactive.
Just what kind of features does the RoboMe pack? For starters, it will be fully programmable, where it will boast of fun customizable faces and personalities. Not only that, it will also be able to perform remote visual telepresence, meaning whatever he “sees”, you too, will see the same thing. Sorta like a webcam on wheels if you ask me. Apart from that, RoboMe is able to autonomously roam and navigate through its environment, with the added ability to understand vocal commands.
As the RoboMe’s owner, you will also be able to have its sensor reactions customized, where it operates as a full-functioned R/C robot right out of the box. If you are interested in picking up the RoboMe for your kid (and who knows, for yourself as well?), it will be available at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide and online, retailing for $99.99 a pop, targeting kids that are aged 8 and older.
Press Release
[ WowWee introduces RoboMe for the holiday season copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Griffin isn’t the first out the door with an RC toy that uses your iPhone as a remote control. But it is the first company to come up with some compelling ways to use the iPhone’s touchscreen for more than just steering. Its new Moto TC Rally car is packed with sensors that detect crashes and impacts affecting how the vehicle drives, while on-screen weapons and power-ups let you mess with your opponents. In other words, it’s as close to a real-life version of Mario Kart as you can get.
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Apparently, Volkswagen has realized that kids who ride Porsches grow up to be adults who buy and drive Porsches. It’s the same strategy that Adobe uses by selling Photoshop dirt cheap to students. But will learning to ride a two-wheeler on this luxurious Porsche balance bike give toddlers a taste for the finer things in life?
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ThinkGeek is always selling really cool toys and other gadgets that celebrate some of the coolest movies in all of geekdom. One of those cool movies, Aliens, also happens to be one of my favorite films. ThinkGeek has unveiled a pair of new plush toys from the film that make evil look really cute.
One of the toys is the Aliens Xenomorph Plush complete with a little mouth skull that pops out when you push its belly. The toy measures 12-inches-tall and is 14.5-inches long from head to tail. You can buy one for $29.99(USD) right now.
Also, be sure to check out the robot Bishop plush with his gross white innards spilled out for $19.99. Bishop is 14-inches tall, 10-inches wide, and 5-inches deep. Which means he was probably about 20-inches-tall when he still had legs.
Now I want a plush where the chestburster pops out of Kane’s chest when you squeeze it.
Lonnie Johnson’s having a good week. The former NASA engineer just won $73 million in a royalties dispute with the toymaker Hasbro for inventing the Super Soaker, the coolest toy you ever had growing up. The lawsuit also covered royalties for Nerf which Johnson also masterminded because he is awesome.
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With the goal of giving kids the ability to easily design and build their own robotic creations, a group of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University came up with the idea for a series of technology-packed building blocks they called Cubelets that became complex robots when assembled. Those researchers went on to found a company called Modular Robotics to sell their creations, and they’re now back with the next generation version of those blocks called MOSS that introduce a novel steel sphere connection system that breathes even more life into everything you build.
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Art is a very prevalent part of our lives. We may not realize it, but every advertisement we see is the artistic work of someone in the world. While school places more emphasis on being well-learned in math, literature, and the sciences, being able to express yourself creatively is extremely important, as there is nothing more frustrating than wanting to play music or draw and feeling like you don’t know where to start.
As kids we started out with crayons and paper, but that’s a lot for parents to tote around nowadays. While we don’t want children to chew on or break a tablet, it’s almost impossible to play with what looks like a toy to them without letting them have a go at it. Since you’re already carrying that with you, why not have an app that will help foster an artistic side for your tiny tot? The Digitools Paint Pack will give little ones all they need to get on their way to using paints and markers.
This includes a digital paint brush that will give an effect that looks similar to actual brush strokes, a digital airbrush, paint roller, stamper, and carrying case. It’s far less of a mess than getting out the markers or crayons and hoping they don’t decide to try and eat them or draw on the walls. This is a $40 pack that will allow you to gauge whether or not your child has some artistic interest without putting in the investment into art supplies. That way letting them move to actual mediums will seem like a step up rather than a challenge.
Available via Crayola.
[ Digitools Paint Pack could be a big stepping stone for little artists copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
I guess there could be any number of reasons you don’t want to go outside to engage in your kite-flying pursuits. Rain, cold weather, Benjamin Franklin-esque electrocution paranoia, fear of zombie apocalypse, or perhaps you simply can not tear yourself away from your favorite soap operas, or the nightly news. Whatever the case may be, I’ve got you covered.
Check out the Homekite, quite possibly the worlds very best (and only) indoor, flyable kite. I know, your thinking you probably don’t have enough of a breeze zipping through your living room, but never fear, Homekites are powered by a hand crank, and in order to add some degree of difficulty to this indoor flight extravaganza, this crank must be turned continuously in order to keep it aloft.
The kites are super soft and attached to the hand crank by an amazing 2 foot long cord, so they are easily controlled, and unlikely to cause damage during your spine tingling indoor kite flying activities. The developer of the Homekite says it’s a great way to teach youngsters about kinetic energy and basic physics. I happen to think its and even better way to tell someone to go fly a kite, and really mean it.
There are six lively and colorful Homekites that you can choose from including white, black, red, orange and green and if you feel like you really need one, (really?) they can be had for right around 50 bucks from japantrendshop.com, but I know you’re holding out for something substantially more exciting, like the waiting-for-paint-to-dry olympics.
[ Homekite – No Wind? No Park? No Problem! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Completing the triad of 80s cartoon and toy perfection, Voltron proudly stood alongside G.I. Joe and the Transformers as the best ways for a kid to relax on a Saturday morning after a long week of school. And since the holidays are just around the corner, if you know someone still holding a candle for a childhood accompanied by five transforming robot lions, this detailed Voltron hoodie is pretty much the best thing you could put under the tree.
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