Hot Wheels Video Racer

Put yourself in the virtual driver's seat with the latest tech-enabled racecar toys

In 2010 Mattel put kids in Barbie’s shoes when they introduced a built-in camera. Now, with their Hot Wheels Video Racer, amateur car racers can put themselves in the driver’s seat too. Equipped with an LCD screen on the bottom and a built-in memory chip, the car functions as a low-res camera, capturing up to 12 minutes of footage at 30 frames per second. The …

Design Futures

Biomimetics, concrete cloth and other high-tech visions of awesome interactive design to come

Textile and design expert Bradley Quinn secures his place among authors on the pulse of technology and design with his new book, “Design Futures.” The 240-page road map about design’s immediate future, edifies communities from architects to budding app developers by detailing innovations in material, surface and imagination. Quinn focuses on a number of cutting-edge trailblazers attempting to manipulate form and function by reshaping current …

Sleep Aids for Children

Three kid-friendly devices to help little ones and their parents doze better

As the dark circles under the eyes of most parents will tell you, instilling good moral values is often far less challenging than negotiating the sleep schedules of your little one. Thankfully for children and their minders alike, a few digital devices help tykes who have trouble understand when it’s time to get up and help them sleep in longer. The Zazoo Photo Clock features …