The problem with buying a remote control toy is that pretty soon you will want more. After the first drone is delivered by the UPS man, you'll probably realize there's a lake near your house where a small boat might come in handy.
Well, the Parrot drone company has fixed that problem by making a hydrofoil hull that can be propelled by one of their small RC devices, the Rolling Spider.
After you snap all the pieces together and make a sort of trimaran, the drone is added to the cradle on the top. It's controlled via the Free Flight phone app, just like it would normally be. The only difference is that instead of flying vertically, its four props are used for horizontal thrust.
The Rolling Spider is one of the most robust small drones around. It's also quite technologically advanced, as it uses a low-resolution camera and an ultrasonic sensor to look at the ground and stabilize itself. It's controlled via Bluetooth, so the range is limited to about 20 meters or so, but the battery can be swapped out to extend your play time.
But let's get back to the Hydrofoil boat. As soon as it gains speed, the hull comes out of the water and becomes supported by three foils. A top speed of 5.4 knots is promised by the manufacturer. The 550mAh lithium polymer battery should give you about 7 minutes of fun.
Parrot will launch the Hydrofoil through its website and various other stores this month. Prices start at $179, and there are two designs available, white or black.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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