I reckon a remote controlled helicopter with a sniper rifle should handle most medium to large sized garden pests, so when the Army finish developing the Autonomous Rotorcraft Sniper System (ARSS) why not see if they plan to start stocking them in Walmart?
Ok, so it’s not really designed for pest-control, but I’m sure the Army wouldn’t mind a little extra income. For those of you that like details, the picture below shows a Vigilante 502 Unmanned Helicopter (using a Rotax 914 turbo engine) equipped with a RND Manufacturing Edge 2000 Rifle and together they make up the ARSS.
Naturally this thing is actually designed with the broad goal of taking man out of modern warfare wherever possible. When in operation the ARSS would be controlled by autopilot whilst the operator takes care of lining up the shot. He does this by means of a modified Xbox 360 controller by the way! Work is continuing to improve the accuracy of the rifle by modifying the turret-control hardware and flight-control software before airborne testing begins later in the year.
Those Nitro RC Trucks are getting everywhere, first it was the Xbox 360, then the PS3 and now the Apple iPhone. Monster Trucks Nitro by RedLynx Ltd is a racing game which makes use of the iPhone’s tilt sensors to create a more physical control experience.
If you want to see what it’s all about then have a quick play on the free flash version below. I warn you though, it is a little on the addictive side, I’ve spent the last half an hour having a ‘quick go’!
Monster Trucks Nitro is available to buy now from the iTunes store for $1.99.
Traxxas are due to release the latest version of the popular Revo in a couple of weeks on May 14th 2009 and this time they’ve packaged it up in a 1/16 electric stadium truck. To quote Traxxas ‘We scaled down everything…except the power! E-Revo innovation, precision and performance – now in 1/16 Scale!’ Sounds pretty good doesn’t it.
Looking at the spec of the Traxxas 1/16 E-Revo VXL it seems as though their claims are genuine – out-of-the-box this thing will do 30+ mph and if you get an uprated battery it’ll do more than 50mph. With full-time 4WD and the usual bits and pieces Traxxas throw into their ready-to-run packages I have a feeling these things may be just a bit popular when they’re on the shelves.
The 1/16 E-Revo is being released along with an equally impressive scaled down Slash, the Traxxas Slash VXL 1/16. The extreme speed of both these trucks comes courtesy of the brushless motor technology also available in other RC trucks like the Traxxas Rustler VXL RC Truck – which for the speed freaks out there will do over 70mph by the way.
Below are a few images of the new E-Revo VXL 1/16 along with the Slash VXL 1/16 thanks to the Traxxas site. Click on them for full size images. Watch this space as no doubt we’ll put a post out when these mini-powerhouses are available to buy.
Last weekend saw RCX 2009 take place at the Pomona Fairplex. A whole load of RC action was going on including NATC championship races, 1/6 tanks, drift challenges and a lot more.
The event also showcased up-and-coming products and one that caught the interest of a lot of people was the soon to be released 1/16 scale electric Revo from Traxxas. The Traxxas 1/16 E-Revo VXL, to give it it’s full title, is due out in May ‘09 and it’s set to get a load of attention.
Below are a couple of videos from RCX 2009. The first shows a championship race in action with some buggies getting some serious air and the second features the E-Revo VXL 1/16 being put through it’s paces. The videos aren’t of great quality but you can see the little E-Revo 1/16 truck doing it’s thing quite capably.
The 3rd video I’ve included is the promo for the E-Revo VXL 1/16 to whet your appetite. Watch this space for more on the Traxxas E-Revo VXL 1/16 as I’ll be putting out a post dedicated to it before it is released.
If you want some Revo action and can’t wait for the 1/16 E-Revo VXL then you could check out the Traxxas Revo 3.3 Nitro RC Truck.
