Interactive Toy Concepts Micro Mosquito
Encyclopedia
The Interactive Toy Concepts Micro Mosquito is an indoor-only, radio-controlled toy helicopter designed by Interactive Toy Concepts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The toy was sold in the United States by RadioShack
and in Canada by The Source by Circuit City
. Both companies held exclusive marketing and retailing rights within each country.
and The New York Times
. Along with You Tube videos, the Micro Mosquito was included in the plotlines of the Fox Network series 24
and the motion picture Homeland Security.
, with a segmented body, insect-like landing legs and bright green LED
"eyes." The helicopter required six "C" batteries for the combination charger and display base and one 9V battery for the transmitter. A 7.5V AC adapter with positive tip polarity could be used, but was not included in the retail package.
The Micro Mosquito utilized counter-rotating coaxial
blades, each driven by its own motor in order to cancel the rotational torque
found in conventional helicopters. This design allowed for a stable hover. This design also did not allow for either collective pitch or cyclic pitch. To accomplish forward motion, a horizontally-mounted tail rotor with its own motor was used. The retail package included tail rotors with more aggressive fixed pitch for faster forward flight.
The helicopter could be operated at two frequencies, 27 MHz or 49 MHz.
Performance of the toy is highly dependent on local elevation. The product manual notes that the toy is unable to fly above 4000 feet due to excessive density altitude
. In addition, users report trouble controlling the helicopter in level flight, due to the apparent inadequacy of the design for canceling yaw
tendency.
RadioShack
RadioShack Corporation is an American franchise of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of Europe, South America and Africa. As of 2008, RadioShack reported net sales and operating revenues of $4.81 billion. The headquarters of RadioShack is located in Downtown...
and in Canada by The Source by Circuit City
The Source by Circuit City
The Source , formerly known as RadioShack and later The Source by Circuit City, is a Canadian electronics retailer with over 800 locations across Canada. Originally part of the American RadioShack chain, The Source is currently financially backed by Bell Canada, which purchased the assets of...
. Both companies held exclusive marketing and retailing rights within each country.
Introduction, Reception, and Appearance in Film
The Micro Mosquito was introduced in 2006. The toy helicopter was featured in articles both at Yahoo!Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Along with You Tube videos, the Micro Mosquito was included in the plotlines of the Fox Network series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
and the motion picture Homeland Security.
Design and Performance
The Micro Mosquito was designed to resemble a mosquitoMosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
, with a segmented body, insect-like landing legs and bright green LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
"eyes." The helicopter required six "C" batteries for the combination charger and display base and one 9V battery for the transmitter. A 7.5V AC adapter with positive tip polarity could be used, but was not included in the retail package.
The Micro Mosquito utilized counter-rotating coaxial
Coaxial
In geometry, coaxial means that two or more forms share a common axis; it is the three-dimensional linear analogue of concentric.Coaxial cable, as a common example, has a wire conductor in the centre a circumferential outer conductor and an insulating medium called the dielectric separating...
blades, each driven by its own motor in order to cancel the rotational torque
Torque
Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist....
found in conventional helicopters. This design allowed for a stable hover. This design also did not allow for either collective pitch or cyclic pitch. To accomplish forward motion, a horizontally-mounted tail rotor with its own motor was used. The retail package included tail rotors with more aggressive fixed pitch for faster forward flight.
The helicopter could be operated at two frequencies, 27 MHz or 49 MHz.
Performance of the toy is highly dependent on local elevation. The product manual notes that the toy is unable to fly above 4000 feet due to excessive density altitude
Density altitude
Density altitude is the altitude in the International Standard Atmosphere at which the air density would be equal to the actual air density at the place of observation, or, in other words, the height when measured in terms of the density of the air rather than the distance from the ground...
. In addition, users report trouble controlling the helicopter in level flight, due to the apparent inadequacy of the design for canceling yaw
Yaw
The word yaw can refer to:* Yaw angle, one of the Tait-Bryan angles, describing the heading of a vehicle or machine, and some other related elements:**Yaw system, component responsible for the orientation of a wind turbine towards the wind....
tendency.
Clones
The Micro Mosquito was quickly cloned. A nearly identical (but less expensive) version called "Alany" exists, as well as a "Syma" version. The "Syma" model differs in rotor design, having 2 large blades per main rotor, as opposed to 4 small blades per rotor encircled by a plastic ring. The "Syma" model is also heavier and has more power. It weighs 37 grams (compared to 20 grams for the Micro Mosquito) and has been reported to fly at altitudes up to 9000 feet.Specifications
- Length: 6.5"
- Main rotor diameter: 6.375"
- Weight: 20g
- Operating frequency: 27 or 49MHz
- Power: 6 "c" batteries + 1 9v battery
