The Voice-Controlled Toy Helicopter You Can’t Buy
Like most areas of our culture, the toy industry is directly affected by the constant advance of technology. For instance, flying toys seem to get more developed with high-tech features every year. Some examples include the voice-controlled toy helicopter from Taiyo last year or the A. R. Drone created by Parrot that was seen at CES this year. Now another innovation in flying toys have been developed.
The Robust Robotics Group at MIT has created an autonomous quad-copter. It moves like the A. R. Drone in terms of flight and hovering. However, it is operated with voice commands. With natural, slowly-given instruction, the quad-copter will do exactly what it is told. Apparently, instructions are given in spoken form and in text through an iPhone before the flying drone performs the commands of the user.
However, it is important to note that this quad-copter was developed only as a research project and won’t become a retail product. It cannot be obtained through special order or purchase from a store. Looks like high-tech toy enthusiasts will have to settle for what’s already available in the store or wait for the next big thing that comes out for purchase.
See the video after the jump.
Tags: MIT, Quad-copter, Robust Robotics Group, voice-controlled
