Just in time for the holiday season, Mattel, the toy manufacturer famous for creating iconic brands such as Hot Wheels and Barbie dolls, surprised kids with a new creation that mixed two unlikely, but interesting topics: technology and insects. It’s called Bug Racer, and it is a new toy that puts live crickets behind the wheel, reports Wired.
The little racer even proudly boasts the tagline, “powered by “eleCrickety.”
“EleCrickety” really means powered by AAA batteries, but since live crickets are the ones in charge of where the toy is going, it works.
So exactly how do the crickets control the car? With a little help from motion sensors.
Inside the Bug Racer, motion sensors are constantly monitoring the movements of the crickets to tell the car where to go. When the cricket moves, so does the Bug Racer. If that isn’t bizarre enough, as many as five crickets can be at the helm of the vehicle at one time.
With that much activity, you can imagine that silly things like, walls, chairs and just about anything in a household would become a problem for the jittery drivers. Luckily, if the drivers run into an object, the car automatically redirects the vehicle so it can continue moving.
There are four driving modes: Cricket In Charge, Drag Racing, Autodrive and Lightshow. The first two are pretty self-explanatory, with the first letting the cricket drive the vehicle and the second designed for two Bug Racers to compete against one another. The third option, Autodrive, allows Bug Racer to operate without crickets. Finally, there is the most peculiar setting: Lightshow. In this setting, kids can get a closer look at the crickets with the added benefit of flashing lights and music.
Now, before you start worrying about the safety of the crickets, Bug Racer’s instructions include various ways you can care for your drivers, featuring ways to feed your crickets and how you can clean up after them.
What do you think of this? Are you disappointed Santa didn’t bring you one of these for Christmas?
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