Gizmodo: tomy

Tomy Dustbot: The Original, Way Cuter Roomba

Mark Wilson — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:00:00 EST

Long before the sterile Roomba arrived, there was a more anthropomorphic cleaning slave known as the Tomy Dustbot.

Released in 1985, the Dustbot is claimed to be the first robot to feature a built-in vacuum cleaner (that broom was just for show) and featured edge detection to turn away from obstacles.

I never owned a Dusbot, but I did have his brother, the Verbot—as did Jesus Diaz (I just discovered in our Gizmodo chatroom). The Verbot was a voice-programmable robot with a stylish bubble helmet and wide-spaced kid-friendly eyes to offset their evil red glow. We each found Verbot's lifting powers to be a little wimpy, but I'm sure that years ago from across the world, Jesus and I were simultaneously experimenting with our first American curse words by mapping them to simple robot functions, unbeknownst to us both. [The Old Robots via bbGadgets]

This Is How the Japanese Want To Sell You a Tomy Xiao TIP-521 Photo-Printing Camera

John Mahoney — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:40:00 EST

Well, that is, if you're a scatologically inclined Japanese television viewer. What's that, Xiao-san? Squeezing my Zink sticker prints off at the pool? Arigato gozaimasu. [YouTube via Crunch Gear]

Bite-Sized Tomy QFO RC Flyers Command the Skies of a Very Small Universe

Adrian Covert — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:00:00 EDT

I like things that fly, especially when they're the size of a golf ball. Tomy's QFO RC toys are part of the Japanese Q series of all things minuscule, and are propelled by a rotor on its underside. The QFO will be available in Japan this month for about $40, but more importantly, I keep thinking of how awesome it would be if 20 of these took to the sky at once in a public space. Check out the video below. [Akihabara via Oh Gizmo via Dvice]

AI Tech Racers: Danger Dodging Slot Cars

Benny Goldman — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST

These AI Tech Racers from Tomy are some of the more interesting slot-style racecars we've seen. The cars have built-in sensors to detect and avoid obstacles in their path—provided they have room to maneuver—and as a result, they can fly around a track without being locked into slots. Once started, the cars ride on their own, but you can give them a speed burst or hit the brakes if needed. Hit the jump to see these babies in action.

Cars cost $13 apiece, while sets ranging $35-$100 come with one or two. The top of the line set includes two exclusive cars, 29 track pieces and an electronic lap counter. The line will be out in July, so start making your model oil slicks, boulders, and traffic cones now. [Tomy]

Next-Gen Tomy Heli-Q RC Helicopter Takes to the Skies Next Month

Charlie White — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:10:00 EDT

Japanese toy giant Tomy says it's about to roll out the next generation in tiny copters, and it's calling this one the Heli-Q. The company says this is the world's smallest radio controlled toy helicopter, but other than its smaller size, its specs seem similar to those of Picco-Z Styrofoam helicopters we've flown before. The Picco-Z took a 20-minute charge of its battery to give us an eight-minute flight, but Tomy conservatively says this Heli-Q will fly for five minutes on each charge.

We like its bubble-front design, which looks a lot cooler than those Jet Ranger replicas we've tested. There are no photos of its remote control, but from the looks of its rotors it may have the same control system as the Picco-Z, too. Tomy didn't quote price, but said the Heli-Q will hit the market next month, just in time for the annual Christmas buying spree. [Tiscali News, via Spluch]

Bomb Piggy Bank Explodes When You Take Money Out

Matt Buchanan — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 09:20:39 EDT

Well "explodes" is perhaps a bit harsh, but if you take too long to retrieve your cash monies, the LED fuse lights up and the bomb gets a bit unruly—it starts shaking and then chucks your coinage. If that sounds like your idea of a party (Uncle Scrooge, what?) you can pick one up in Japan from Takara Tomy for about 25 bucks on Oct. 26.
Bomb coin box from Tomy [Ubergizmo]

Nintendog Beanies: At Last, a Puppy That Won't Pee on Your Bed

www.gizmodo.com — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 06:30:07 EDT

Tomy have brought out a dozen official Nintendog beanies which whine or bark when you press their left ear. They're quite cute and they are less annoying than the DS game, which, during my short tenure as a Nintendog owner, drove me menkle. That AWFUL muzak. The suburban surroundings. In fact, the only things I liked were the crazy Mario Kart toy and the stars that came out of my puppy's head when I praised him. Anyway, Cliché (for that was my Nintendog's name) died a horrible death while we were on honeymoon. Good.

I wonder if these puppies are real-puppy-proof - if so, then our four-month Border Terrier, Jones, is getting all 12. It might stop him going to work on my shoes, rugs, MacBook cable, kitchen floor, toes, or the postman. It won't stop him peeing on the bed, though. – Ad Dugdale

Product Page [Anytoys via Ubergizmo]

Tomy Q-Steer Choro-Q Cars Now Controlled by Cellphone

Charlie White — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 09:36:10 EDT

Make way for the latest iteration of the Tomy Q Steer (also known in the States as Microsizer or ZipZap), and this one's called the Choro-Q, a teeny tiny toy car that can be controlled with an infrared remote. Its latest next-gen trick? Now you can even steer the little thing with your cellphone. It's just 1.5 inches (40mm) long, and although it doesn't have proportional steering, the mini-car can zip around your kitchen floor with considerable controllability.

It's not entirely clear how your cellphone controls the car, but check out the video and you'll see a guy using his cellphone in addition to the four-channel infrared remote, steering the car every which-way. Looks like tons o' fun. Bring these here to the states, Tomy. – Charlie White

Tomy Q Steer, the infrared Choro-Q [Akihabara News]

Tomy Life Box is a Tamagotchi Piggy Bank

Brian Lam — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:27:12 EDT

Saving my hard-earned dollars isn't nearly as much fun as spending my money on video games, gizmos, and booze. Here's a little Japan-only bank that'll encourage me to save the thousands upon thousands of...Yen. Every 500 coin deposited gives the little man on the LCD more funding to turn shoe-box apartment from ikea-slum into a pixelated palace. As Aragoto on dottocomu says:

Then you open up the box and find he actually has spent all your money on 8-bit hos and lo-rez champagne.

Proper.–Brian Lam

Tomy Life Bank [Tokyo Mango via dottocomu ]

Nano Channel: Teeny Tiny

johnb — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:04:39 EDT

With only 128MB on board, this wee feller won't be replacing our Gmini 402 any time soon, but it's just so darn cute.

Japan-only right now, this little bugger has a 1.2-inch screen and plays MP3 and WMA files along with QuickTime and MPEG-1/2. We'll probably never see it because it's suppose to work with some sort of video download service in Japan.

Takara Tomy's Nano Channel [AkibaLive]

Teddy Bear MP3 Player

johnb — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 09:35:45 EST

So cute. So small. So Tomy. This Teddy Bear MP3 player has aboue 128MB of storage—just enough for the latest Hilary Duff album—and may pose a choking hazard. It will cost about $78 in Japan when it's launched this March. One AA battery offers 8 hours of saccharine play time.

Teddy Bear MP3 Player [TecheBlog]

Tomy Indoor Aerosoarer

Noah R — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 09:35:35 EST

As a child, or even now, you wished for a radio-controlled airplane on your birthday. Here's the one you always wanted: The "TOMITECH Aerosoarer" (6.7 x 7.8 inches), an infrared controlled model airplane made for the indoors. It comes in six colors, and because it's made out of styrene foam it weighs just 0.12 oz. That means you can navigate it through your McMansion without worrying that it will crash into your wife's favorite vase, or that 50-inch HDTV you unwrapped during the holidays. Available on the Japanese market starting April 1, the price is about $22.

Press Release (pdf)