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RC car runs on soda can rings, Doc Brown approves (video)
Many a future engineer was inspired by Back to the Future's Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown, and not just because he proved that unkempt eccentrics could truly change the world. No, he also pioneered Mr. Fusion, the coffee maker/cold fusion reactor that turned garbage into energy. And while we're still waiting for cold fusion and time travel to become a reality, today we're all one step closer to waste-powered cars. A pair of Spanish engineers have recently unveiled the dAlH2Orean (see what they did there?), a R/C car that runs on aluminum. Dropping a few soda can tabs into a tank of sodium hydroxide produces enough hydrogen to power the little speedster for 40 minutes – at almost 20mph. Hit the video above to see it in action, along with your daily helping of the Chemical Brothers. Fitting.
Homebuilt UAV hunts down hydrogen balloons, shoots firework missiles (video)
Augmented reality is swell, don't get us wrong, but it's no substitute for the real thing -- especially when that thing is a badass tricopter equipped with a jury-rigged firework cannon to rain down miniature hell. Swedish R/C enthusiasts built this first-person flying contraption to carry out a single mission -- destroy a series of hydrogen-filled balloons -- which will hopefully be hard-coded into future automatons too. After all, balloons could serve as an excellent distraction when they inevitably come for you. Still, there's no need to worry quite yet, so kick back and enjoy the video above while you contemplate humanity's end.
RC Pterosaur lets you terrorize the neighborhood prehistoric-style
Professor Falken would have been proud of this one: a company in England is selling an RC Pterosaur with a 100-foot range, allowing you to chase any non-paleontologists off your land from the comfort of your easy chair. The ten-minute flight time provided by the internal rechargeable battery won't give you a lot of time to do your dirty work, however, and the cartoony facial expression and distinctly non-terrifying flapping wings mean you'd better have a solid Plan B. Available now for £40 ($80). Check the read link for a video of the beast in flight.[Via ShinyShiny]
RC Pirate ship with working cannon lets you rule the pool
Lifeguards beware: the stakes have been raised. This RC pirate ship would be way cooler if the cannon actually fired something, but those landlubbers in the shallow end don't know that you're unarmed. A switch on the waterproof transmitter triggers what is sure to be a terrifying light and sound display from speakers hidden in the 18-inch hull, and when you're done looting whatever booty you can find, the twin screws all but guarantee a swift retreat from that bruiser middle schooler trying to wreck your summer.
When good toys go bad V: RC planes going down in smoke
PSA: If you just so happen to be one of the incredibly unlucky 66,000 owners of either a Sky Squadron Model 4153 (pictured after the jump) or Sky Rangers Model 4161 radio-controlled aircraft, we'd highly recommend not making them part of your Sunday afternoon fling. Unfortunately, the overheating (and potentially explosive) Li-ion curse has reared its ugly fiery head once more, and this time two RC planes distributed by Estes-Cox through Radio Shack and Wal-Mart are being promptly recalled. There have already been nine reports of eruptive behavior, including one craft that actually caught fire and somehow inflicted "a minor burn injury" to the unsuspecting user, triggering the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to take action. So if you're not exactly interested in the possibility of getting toasted by your not-so-innocent toy plane, be sure and hit the read link to initiate that always fun RMA process.[Via Gearlog]
