May 19, 2008

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Take a virtual ride in an RC toy car

The Vision Tracking System Camera Car has an onboard camera that beams back streaming video of the road to a pair of LCD goggles. Credit: Red5.co.uk.
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The Vision Tracking System Camera Car has an onboard camera that beams back streaming video of the road to a pair of LCD goggles. Credit: Red5.co.uk.

Have you ever wished that you could hop into the cockpit of your remote-controlled car and experience what the ride would really be like?

A new RC car available at Red5.co.uk offers a completely immersive and interactive driving experience, virtually putting you in the driver´s seat. The Vision Tracking System (VTS) Camera Car is equipped with an onboard camera that wirelessly broadcasts VGA video to a pair of LCD goggles, giving you a first-person view of the road.

Plus, when you turn your head sideways or up and down, the goggles can track your head motion and send it to the onboard camera, which follows your gaze in real time. So, you can check for obstacles before turning, or just make yourself really dizzy. The device also includes stereo sound to complete the experience.

While there are a few other RC cars that have onboard cameras, they generally just beam back images to the handheld controller, rather than a headset. With its virtual-reality-like goggles, the VTS Camera Car seems a lot like playing a video game in the real world. Multiple players could make the experience even more game-like.

The car and control system itself is equipped with precision gyro control, and the controller enables fine-tuning by controlling the trims.

The VTS Camera Car is a step up from your average RC car, with the car, goggles, and 27-MHz radio controller priced at £599.95 (about $1,172).

More information, including a video, is available at Red5.co.uk.

via: OhGizmo!

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