All I want for Christmas is ... a flying robot
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Christmas is coming! From a clownfish-shaped blimp to a mountaineering surveillance aircraft -- take a look at the flying robots that could deliver themselves down chimneys this year.
The Drop Strike toy gives military drones a run for their money with the ability to drive, eject from its chassis, fly away and launch (toy) missiles.
Price: Around $49.99
The Drop Strike toy gives military drones a run for their money with the ability to drive, eject from its chassis, fly away and launch (toy) missiles. Price: Around $49.99
Looking for something a bit more delicate? How about a flying fairy that you control by moving your hand underneath it. It's high tech in shiny pink packaging. Toys 'R' Us and the UK Toy Retailers Association have named it as one of their hottest toys in 2013.
Price: Around $29.99
Looking for something a bit more delicate? How about a flying fairy that you control by moving your hand underneath it. It's high tech in shiny pink packaging. Toys 'R' Us and the UK Toy Retailers Association have named it as one of their hottest toys in 2013. Price: Around $29.99
Robot pets are top of kids' wish lists this year, says world-renowned British toy retailer Hamleys. But isn't a robo-pet just an inferior substitute for the real deal? Not when it's a 4½ foot flying remote-control clownish filled with helium. Also comes in killer whale, shark, bass and Angry Birds editions.
Price: Around $24.99
Robot pets are top of kids' wish lists this year, says world-renowned British toy retailer Hamleys. But isn't a robo-pet just an inferior substitute for the real deal? Not when it's a 4½ foot flying remote-control clownish filled with helium. Also comes in killer whale, shark, bass and Angry Birds editions. Price: Around $24.99
A true big-kids' toy, the Parrot Drone is a quadcopter controlled using any iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. It can record and stream HD video straight from the Drone to your screen. Home movies this Christmas just got extreme.
Price: Around $299.99
A true big-kids' toy, the Parrot Drone is a quadcopter controlled using any iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. It can record and stream HD video straight from the Drone to your screen. Home movies this Christmas just got extreme. Price: Around $299.99
Hoping to go one better, DJI's flying machine boasts 1080p video (to Parrot's 720p) and a 14 megapixel still camera. The vehicle's controller clips to your smartphone, allowing the phone to act as an in-flight computer, showing the display from the Phantom, plus vital stats including air speed, altitude and flight distance. It's not cheap, though.
Price: Around $1,199
Hoping to go one better, DJI's flying machine boasts 1080p video (to Parrot's 720p) and a 14 megapixel still camera. The vehicle's controller clips to your smartphone, allowing the phone to act as an in-flight computer, showing the display from the Phantom, plus vital stats including air speed, altitude and flight distance. It's not cheap, though. Price: Around $1,199
One of the oldest names in consumer micro air vehicle technology, Draganflyer produces toys for kids and parents. The micro-sized Lil' Draganflyer Plus can host accessories including a camera, missile launcher, water cannon, hook and basket, and bubble blower. The big Draganflyer X-6 can shoot professional quality video. Strictly for techies who don't mind breaking the bank.
Lil' Draganflyer Plus - Price: Around $129.95.
X-6: Price: Around $12,000.
One of the oldest names in consumer micro air vehicle technology, Draganflyer produces toys for kids and parents. The micro-sized Lil' Draganflyer Plus can host accessories including a camera, missile launcher, water cannon, hook and basket, and bubble blower. The big Draganflyer X-6 can shoot professional quality video. Strictly for techies who don't mind breaking the bank. Lil' Draganflyer Plus - Price: Around $129.95.
X-6: Price: Around $12,000.
OK -- so this one definitely isn't a stocking filler. But if you want to seriously impress the U.A.V-lover in your life, this fixed-wing vehicle can fly at speeds of over 50km/h, and cruise for over 45 minutes, capturing aerial photography with its 16MP camera. SenseFly recently showed off what the eBee was capable of by mapping a mountain in a few hours, revealing the paths down from the snowy peak of the Matterhorn.
Price: Around $12,000
OK -- so this one definitely isn't a stocking filler. But if you want to seriously impress the U.A.V-lover in your life, this fixed-wing vehicle can fly at speeds of over 50km/h, and cruise for over 45 minutes, capturing aerial photography with its 16MP camera. SenseFly recently showed off what the eBee was capable of by mapping a mountain in a few hours, revealing the paths down from the snowy peak of the Matterhorn. Price: Around $12,000
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Could flying robots invade the market for presents this Christmas?
- Toys 'R' Us names remote controlled flying toys as "top gifts" this year
- Both novelty and high tech devices are becoming increasingly affordable
Both international toy store Toys 'R' Us and the UK's Toy Retailers Association have named remote control flying toys among their "top toys" for Christmas 2013 -- and that's just the beginning of the flying robot invasion. Aerial bots of all sizes -- from miniature flying fairies to full-scale surveillance aircraft -- could be appearing under Christmas trees come December 25.
It's evidence that the high tech materials and components developed for complex flying robots are filtering down creatively to the new world of "civilian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles."
It wasn't long ago that easily controlled multifunctional quadcopters were only seen in the hands of tech university researchers and military specialists. Now, cheap, lightweight motors and stability-providing gyroscopes are available to anyone, opening up flying robot technology to the world of toys, as well as providing new ways for shutterbugs to make home movies and shoot aerial photos.
Check out the slideshow above to see some of the amazing flying robots that are available for kids and adults alike. And consider giving Rudolph a break this year by giving a gift that can make its own way down the chimney.
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