Namco Bandai subsidiary CCP toys has launched its Nano-Falcon remote-controlled helicopter toy, which it claims is the world's smallest. The Nano-Falcon, which is designed for indoor flight, has a body size of just 6.5 cm (2.5 in) long and weighs a scant 11 g (0.38 oz). The infrared controller, which takes four AA alkaline batteries, has a range of just 5 m (16 ft), which may be a good thing, lest you lose sight of it!
Despite its small size, the Nano-Falcon is no slouch when compared with other miniature RC helicopters. Employing a dual rotor "double inversion mechanism," it can hover, rise and fall, turn left and right, and fly back and forth just as you would expect. CCP has flexed its technological know-how by using the dual rotor to reduce the required diameter of the rotor, while implementing a gyro sensor to improve its stability.
You can expect about five minutes of flight time on a full charge before its rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery runs out of juice. To recharge it, you connect it to the controller with the charging plug (or with a USB cable sold separately) for about 30 minutes.
Of course, the RC toy market is overflowing with miniature helicopters, so it's difficult to say with any degree of certainty if it is indeed the world's smallest, but it certainly looks the part. Although there are plenty of other micro flying vehicles, like the militarized Black Hornet and Seiko Epson's FR-II, this one can be yours for 4,704 yen (US$49.70).
Source: CCP (Japanese) via Impress Game Watch (Japanese)
