As it builds up speed in the video below, the little robot eventually builds up enough speed to spin all the way around the horizontal bar, and even attempts to release its grippy hands mid-spin (with questionable success). Still, the very fact that it can perform acrobatic moves that most human beings can’t muster is enough for me.

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….and dis… mount!

[via PlasticPals]

Just flip open the collapsing handle on the Bandai Luminodisc and give it a spin. As it goes round and round, a persistence-of-vision LED display tells you how many rotations your spin made. If you hit a certain threshold, you’ll see secret hidden messages and animations. There are a couple of game modes, like trying to hit 150 rotations in 10 seconds, and a really tricky mode called “Just 100″ in which you need to stop the spinning at exactly 100 revolutions. And then there’s “Biggest Challenge” in which you shoot for 300, 400 or 500 revs without the top stopping.

In addition to the game modes, the Luminodisc works as a handy magnetic compass too. Just put it in directional mode, and a N-S-E-W directional indicator flips on the LED display when you spin it up to speed.

While these are available over in Japan for just ¥1999 ($20 USD), the folks over at Gizmine are selling these worldwide for $34.99 (USD).

You can certainly drive this R/C car around the floor just like any other, but the real fun kicks in when you kick it into Breakin’ II Electric Boogaloo mode. While the Twister Edition Stunt R/C car can’t pop-and-lock or do The Robot, it definitely can do head spins, windmills and even The Worm. A unique spinning joint system lets the car perform all sorts of crazy stunts using the included wireless remote-control.

As it spins and rolls along your floor, the car offers up an LED lightshow that’s nothing short of a nighttime drive down the Vegas strip and downtown Osaka rolled into one. The car works on just about any surface, and can even handle itself on bumpy outdoor roads when it’s not doing a dance routine.

The pictures above give you a pretty good sense of how flexible this vehicle is, but to really understand its B-Boy moves, you’ll need to watch this video of the car in action:

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If your name happens to be Boogaloo Shrimp or Shabba-Doo, you can pick one of these up over at Chinavasion for just $10.09 (USD) – cheaper than a breakdance mat unless you happen to make yours out of cardboard refrigerator boxes.

While the Tornader robot from Elekit can drive slowly around the floor like most remote-controlled vehicles, the real fun starts when you set the Tornader into one of its insane spin modes.

Once the ‘bot builds up sufficient speed, it’ll fly around in a wild orbit that’s reminiscent of an out-of-control breakdancer who drank a few too many Red Bulls before hitting the dance mat. Check out this video clip of the Tornader in action and you’ll see what I’m talking about:

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The 5-inch diameter robot kit takes about an hour to put together, but from the looks of the video, is well worth the effort. Each Tornader ships with a multi-channel infrared remote, which lets you operate up to four of them in the same room at the same time for complete robotic chaos. And each robot has a customizeable space on the side where you can place one of a variety of colorful printed patterns that’ll have your head spinning when the Tornader hits maximum speed.

While the Tornader is officially only available in Japan, the guys at Japan Trend Shop have started to sell them worldwide for $121 (USD). Of course, if you happen to live in Japan, you can get yourself a much better deal, since the Tornader retails there for just ¥3990 (appx. $44 USD).

The clock comes with a wireless remote that lets you flip between a variety of different display modes, including traditional clocks, modern digitals, 3D animations, and even a Pac-Man mode. And with the optional upload module, you can load your own custom animations onto the clock face.

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The latest version of the clock offers a significant upgrade over the original 2-color version, adding a full RGB display and enhanced animation capabilities. It can even do real time math to convert square pixel graphics into the cartesian coordinates needed to display along the blade’s circular path.

The RGB POV Clock should be available from Innovative Device by the end of the year.

A narrow slot cut into the platter allows a set of flashing colored LEDs to show through as it spins. It’s powered by a PIC18F252 controller, along with custom software which adjusts the LED patterns accordingly.

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A small magnet on the platter triggers a magnetic switch to let the system know when a rotation is complete. The spinning drive platter not only can display the time, it creates a wondrous light show when it’s not in clock mode. (Ian got his inspiration from a similar clock design by Alan Parekhs).

According to Ian: “The clock works because the human eye does not see frequencies above 60 or so as blinking, but as a solid color. This is how we see a TV picture as a full image and not a series of lines being drawn across it. At 5400 RPM this drive spins just over 90 times a second, plenty fast enough to fool the eye into thinking it sees solid hands and not a spinning bar of light.”

I used to think this was the best hard disk clock hack, but I think we have a new champion.

[via Hacksosis via Make:]

Orbitwheels move sort of like inline skates, but a wheel rotates around your feet, instead of under them. The large donut-shaped wheel whirls around sideways, letting you do all sorts of crazy tricks and spins with relative ease.

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Unlike Rollerblades or skates, you just step into the Orbitwheels, so you don’t need to tie any laces or fasten any buckles to get going. Of course with any sporting good that has you hurdling down the sidewalk willy-nilly, protective pads and a helmet are a probably a good idea unless you plan on breaking some bones.

Orbitwheels are available for pre-order now from NewDaVincis for $159.99 a pair.

While I actually think the effect of the LEDs and the laser are pretty cool when its spinning, I think that the music that plays as it goes is about as ridiculous as it gets.

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For some odd reason, they decided to pick the Harold Faltermeyer “classic” Axel F from the 80s hit Beverly Hills Cop. I’m not sure if there was some misunderstanding that it was from Beverly Hills Top, but either way music would drive just about anyone up the wall after about 30 seconds.

Regardless, it is kind of a fun little toy, and when you put a laser beam on just about anything it instantly becomes about 10-times cooler. So get spinning and pick one up for just $5.95 here.

A thin LED arm, loaded with 33 LEDs spins at 30 revolutions per second to create the illusion of a complete image. When the blade is spinning at full speed, it tricks your eyes into thinking there are nearly 8000 LEDs.

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The clocks feature several display options including digital, analog and pendulum modes and can also display text messages with up to 240 characters. Plus, an included wireless remote lets to control the display settings from across the room.

Each unit is handmade from black and clear acrylic and features an ultra-quiet motor for spinning the LED blade. The clock is available from the Innovative Device eBay store in limited quantities starting around $100.

Inspired by those light-up LED spinner rims that might have turned up on Pimp My Ride, The LED Art Fan hooks up to your computer via a serial connection, and lets you download up to 128 frames of art into its internal memory.

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Thanks to a little mental illusion called “persistence of vision,” the fan’s rapidly spinning blades create what looks like a full-motion image using an array of 42 programmable red, green and blue LEDs. The fan is a little pricey at $389.99, but isn’t it worth it to look (and feel) oh so cool?

They captured all of the fun and festivities in this video clip:

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I wouldn’t want to be the one sitting in that chair. I’m feeling a bit nauseous just looking at it.

[via High T3ch]