Da Vinci 2.0 - WowWee Dragonfly

In an article by Michel Marriot I learned of an innovative and rather fantastic new toy that incorporates the most advanced technology. A robotics company called WowWee plans to release a mass produced functional ornithopter (a device that flies like a bird). The device is a radio controlled toy that mechanically flaps its Mylar wings and flies as a bird does. This is the latest and greatest in a whole line of mechanical marvels to be released this year.

The inspiration for the FlyTech Dragonfly was an insect according to the 22 year old inventor Sean Frawley. There is also a remarkable resemblance to some of Leonardo Da Vinci's 15^thcentury versions of flying machines, according to the Times article. Da Vinci obviously envisioned such flying marvels over 500 years ago, as we have seen in his drawings of fixed and flexible winged air craft. It is good to see that the only innovation out there is not just in cyberspace, and I think all of us have a special place for toys that actually do something physical.

Demonstration flights of the Dragonfly last month at the CES proved that the foot long bug was an enormous hit as the $50 toy was swamped with offers from onlookers to buy one on the spot. The Dragonfly will take to the air again at the American International Toy Fair Sunday in New York. The fair will exhibit a whole new generation of advanced technology toys that will fly, float and roll.

Not only are the new toys innovative in way unimaginable a few years ago, but they are primarily inexpensive toys by today's standard, with most of the cool gadgets surpassingly inexpensive compared to game consoles and other tech goodies. Gene Khaminsky of Interactive Toy Concepts, responding to whether or not there is a revolution going on in the toy industry, said:

"I think, right now, that there is a push back from our industry to get kids off the couch where they're playing video games. We're moving into an age where toys are becoming more high-tech to stay competitive with gaming."

WowWee, the creator of Robosapien, is also working on a radio controlled vehicle that walks on 4 spider-like, multijointed legs. The Roboquad is expected to sell for about $100and is scheduled to be released later this year.

My take on this type development is in line with Khasminsky, as I believe little engineering marvels like this not only get kids off the couch, but promote a sense of wonder and curiosity too. I remember getting toys back in the Stone Age and trying to figure out how they worked. Back then we spend countless hours amused by the workings of electric trains, remote control airplanes and little chariots with stone wheels (just kidding).

Sometimes we get so involved in our interactive devices and Internet wonders that we lose sight of the fact that nothing on the web would exist without the innovation that exists outside the Web. Engineers, artists and designers once played with such toys, and practical applications or imaginings more often than not come from the physical world. What we are seeing is a "balancing" between the digital world and the physical world. I believe that this balance is crucial to developments in technology and for human beings as a whole. WowWee, Bravo Dragonfly!

Photo Credits: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times