Yahoo Autos Start Your Engines for This Totally Customizable RC Car
My dad was handy, and it’s a good thing, too. As soon as my lime-green electric RC car came out of the box, I whipped it across the driveway and started smashing it into things. Lots of people probably have the same childhood memory: old-fashioned metal-and-plastic remote-controlled cars that were fun, loud, and easy to break.
Enter the Raceya, a modern heir to that legacy and a different kind of RC car made by entrepreneur and friend of C/D Abigail Edgecliffe-Johnson that is in the midst of its Kickstarter campaign. Raceya is 3D printed and built with the idea that kids will customize the heck out of it.
The wheels, for example, come off with a twist, allowing kids to experiment with different kinds of tires (and sneaking in a science lesson about friction at the same time). The reversible battery cover features Lego-compatible studs on one side, so the ride can be modified in whatever blocky way one desires.
Smash up the Raceya? No biggie. The company’s site will provide files that let you download and 3D-print replacement parts at home-and in whatever color you want-if you have the technology or access to it, Edgecliffe-Johnson says. If not, Raceya can print them for you.
Edgecliffe-Johnson wanted to make a STEM-focused toy, but not one that requires coding as a prerequisite. So Raceya is drivable and changeable as a fun car out of the box, but it also includes the ability for older kids who are getting into programming to code new features into the ride.
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As of publication, Raceya is about halfway to its Kickstarter funding goal with two weeks remaining. It’s an all-or-nothing Kickstarter project, but Edgecliffe-Johnson says she has been developing the toy for years and will keep on building whether or not the goal is reached.
This story originally appeared on Popular Mechanics.
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