Toys

About a year and a half ago, we took a look at something called the PowerUp. It’s a capacitor joined to a propeller by a carbon fiber shaft, that can be used to power a user-supplied paper airplane. At the time, we suggested that it would be good if the user could actually steer the PowerUp-powered plane by remote control. With the soon-to-be-released PowerUp 3.0, it turns out, that’s just what they’ll be able to do.  Read More

Say what you like about Barbie, but she knows her gadgets almost as well as she knows fashion. She's been a computer engineer, had a video camera implant and worn a T-shirt with a built-in LCD screen. Now with the launch of Barbie Digital Dress, she's shown she's once again on-trend (in both technology and fashion) by showing off an LED touch-sensitive dress.  Read More

Japanese toy giant Takara Tomy has unveiled what could be the ultimate unnecessary accessory for your tablet or smartphone – a mini Roomba-like cleaning "robot" called the Auto Mee S. The gadget features two rotating cleaning pads which can clear away greasy fingerprints and annoying dust particles, and it's smart enough to automatically turn around when it reaches the edge of your device.  Read More

It’s probably safe to say that most of us will never get the chance to operate a Mars rover. While it is now possible to purchase remote-control miniature buggies with onboard cameras, most of them still seem like ... well, like toys. The H-ROVER, however, is a little different. Looking like it would be right at home trundling across the Martian topsoil, the little tracked vehicle is powered by a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and super-capacitor system.  Read More

The ModiBots, a line of poseable action figures which can be outfitted with all sorts of accessories, sell for around US$15 apiece, which isn't much more than what you'd expect to pay for any other toy at retail. The difference is that these aren't being churned out in massive quantities by a major manufacturer – they're available for purchase online via Shapeways' 3D print-on-demand service. It's an example of how entrepreneurs are taking advantage of 3D printing technology to build new businesses.  Read More

Parents know that it's all too easy to suddenly find your house swamped with toys ... so anything that can help keep your living room stylish, while also being fun for your little one, has obvious appeal. Qubis Haus is just such an item. It's a coffee table which transforms into a doll house, with the simple addition of sliding panels made from wood and perspex.  Read More

If you're of a certain age, the chances are you had, or at least played with, a Fisher Price farm set when you were younger. Well, the toy manufacturer has recently revealed an updated barnyard set which incorporates an iPad case to create a virtual farm which recognizes and interacts with figures when they're placed on the screen. Consider it your childhood, upgraded.  Read More

For much of the socio-economic West, new year is set to roll around in approximately 14 days. For South Korean designer Jeong Yong, the rolling around is likely to occur literally as well as figuratively, being that Yong is the designer of the ONE Table Calendar, a multi-ringed calendar and magnetic designer corporate play-thing.  Read More

Michael Rosenblatt, design lead behind the first iPod touch, has a point to make about toys. Not all toys. Just the best kind: the ones that enable children (and grown-ups, let's be honest) to create things, be it from LEGO, K-NEX, crayons, paints or Play-Doh. The thing is, they're generally a little on the inert side. With ATOMS from ATOMS Express Toys, Rosenblatt is hoping to redress the balance with a series of modules that can be fitted to other toys (including LEGO) to effectively turn them into moving and sensing robots.  Read More