I don't know, I think a smaller unit would be harder to control. If they came out with a smaller unit, it would probably have to use helicopter blades instead of wings, thus defeating the whole dragonfly motif. I think they made the dragonfly the smallest they could as they had indoor flight in mind.
Flytech: I was just thinking, since you've already established a perfectly functional flying mechanism for the RC Dragonfly, will you now work on creating a much smaller model? I'm sure you can just work on miniaturizing the existing mechanics. I mean, we live in an age of microprocessors and nanotechnology - such amazing technology that you can fit billions of transistors and such on something the size of a pin head. So, I'm sure it'd be completely feasible to make a real-life sized dragonfly, which in comparison to nanotechnology would be HUGE! I would buy it in a second, and I think a lot of other people would as well, despite having the original RC Dragonfly.
Don't get me wrong, I love the regular RC Dragongfly - it's almost eerie how much it behaves like a real dragonfly when it flies and comes into contact with walls, and/or ceilings...I've seen them trapped indoors before, and they behave so similarly to this toy when in flight. The problem is, it's just too big! It would be a milestone if you could manufacture one to be almost the size of a real dragonfly, maybe a little bit larger...perhaps with a total wingspan of 6 inches, or less (both wings combined, not each wing).
Can you tell us if such a project is in the works, or will be in the works in the near future???
I think that's a very cool idea - if for no other reason than to just see it! But, I can't help but agree with thisisnot that it would probably be difficult to control!
-Doug / http://www.mydragonfly.info/
On the other hand, I would prefer a larger model suitable for outdoor use in less than ideal conditions.
The wind in my city rarely, if ever, drops below 4MPH. I would definately enjoy being able to take something like this "on the road."
Hm, well to just hold position in a 4 MPH wind, you need to have a groundspeed of 4 MPH, right? And to resist gusts, you need more weight and less wing area... These guys are around 28 grams- but somewhere we read about the inventors, who first sold a balsa-tissue paper rubber band powered model with a larger wingspan.
I'll bet Wowwee is working on additional models- they can't afford to sit still in this kind of market- and I'd think Tyco RC will have a version out within 6 months! Not to mention the cheap Asian knockoffs, like you see in the RC mini-helicopter market.
-cheers- Scott
Visit my Roving RoboReporter blog!


RSS
