Nokia may be having a
slow start to CES 2006, but not so Motorola, who are always up for a laugh. Their latest invention? “Wireless Wheels”, a remote controlled car developed by Japan’s Nikko, and controlled by an iDEN compliant Motorola mobile phone!
Apparently, users can view simulations of their car’s movement via animation on the phone’s screen, hear the engine start and the tyres squeal as they race, and feel the phone vibrate in their hand like the steering wheel of a race car. In addition, the Push-To-Talk (PTT) button serves as a “turbo boost” for a sudden burst of speed.
Er, wow! No picture, unfortunately, but I’d love to see this thing in action. Sounds similar to Sony Ericsson’s desktop racer they developed a couple of years ago, but that was tiny, Blueotooth controlled, and a gimmick. This seems to be the real deal, at least in the sense that they’ve partnered with Nikko, the world’s largest remote control company.
[Source:
Motorola. Note: image shown not the actual wireless wheels car and not shown to size. Batteries sold seperately!]
More details on the Motorola Wireless Wheels remote controlled car
Motorola Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and Nikko have announced a new Wireless Wheels remote control toy car controlled by select Motorola iDEN® handsets. Based on the Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE:FSL, FSL.B) wireless Personal Area Network (PAN) technology
which
utilizes the IEEE® 802.15.4 standard, the 1/16 scale replica is the latest remote control model to be introduced by Motorola to the consumer market.
Using the Motorola iDEN phone attachment, which leverages PAN technology, the Motorola iDEN handset replaces traditional remote controls by operating multiple devices such as toys or robots with reliable two-way communications.
Wireless Wheels are full-function radio controlled toy cars that give consumers a multi-sensory racing experience. Combined with Motorola iDEN handsets, users can view simulations of their car’s movement via animation on the phone’s screen, hear the engine start and the tires squeal as they race, and feel the phone vibrate in their hand like the steering wheel of a race car. In addition, the Push-To-Talk (PTT) button serves as a “turbo boost” for a sudden burst of speed.
M. Ban, CEO Nikko Company Ltd notes, “The new Motorola technology for radio control toys is very exciting and innovative. This is the first major advancement in the RC toy category in many years. We are honored to be able to work with Motorola and Freescale on the development of the generation of hi-tech RC toys.”
