Kyosho Space Ball – Luke Skywalker’s Formidable Foe?

With all the craze surrounding remote-controlled toys and flying objects, perhaps the Kyosho Space Ball is the only one of its kind. At first glance, the toy looks fragile and flimsy, and would probably not fare any better than other flying toys. But don’t be fooled! The Space Ball is tougher than it looks.

The Kyosho toy company from Japan developed this versatile RC vehicle (about the size of a basketball), specially designed to withstand impact and breakage that other helicopter models often experience. The lightweight yet sturdy round frame allows the Space Ball to be maneuvered easily, bouncing off walls when it flies too close. When the Space Ball suddenly plummets to the ground, it just ricochets unscathed. It can even reorient itself to be upright so you can let it fly again, without you having to readjust its position by hand.

Another interesting tidbit about the Kyosho Space Ball is that it resembles the Star Wars IT-O Interrogator droid used by Darth Vader against his enemies. The Space Ball may also be a bigger version of the lightsaber practice droid which Luke Skywalker used in his Jedi training. Now that makes for a high tech laser sword sparring partner.

The Kyosho Space Ball can be purchased online for around 117 USD. It comes with an infrared remote control that requires 6 AA batteries to operate. The Space Ball itself has a rechargeable Li-Po battery that takes about an hour to charge for every 5 minutes of flying time. You may even choose from two colors, black or orange. The Space Ball has a small LED light that helps you determine its distance from furniture and other obstacles, plus there is a “mist” fan that can be used to freshen the air around the room as it travels.

More flying frenzies: Tennis-playing flying robots and robots that build while flying.

Via: Japan Trends