PowerUp turns a paper plane into a smartphone controlled toy

We’re probably all familiar with the exhilaration of making a paper plane that can fly a good distance, but in some ways it never seems far enough. That’s where the Power Up 3.0 Smart Module comes in, a device which will turn your paper planes into fully phone-controlled aircraft.

The device has appeared on Kickstarter, where inventor Shai Goitein is attempting to fund a fully developed commercial product. It looks likely to take off too (sorry) as the invention won the Best of NY Toy Fair 2013 award and has generated a massive $200,000 funding, flying past (sorry) its $50,000 crowdfunding goal.

The carbon fibre-built Power Up 3.0 simply slips onto a paper plane and includes a motor, propeller and rudder, as well as the necessary communications hardware to link up to your phone. A single charge will give you 10 minutes of flight – around 180 feet, apparently. Goitein has also designed the device to be durable, describing it as “crash proof” so you should be able to use it on plane after plane regardless of how your flights pan out.

Goitien has developed an iOS controller app but is also working on an Android version. Funding is still ongoing until January 25 and pledgers will be eligible to receive a beta version of the toy. A full retail model is expected to appear around June 2014.

And if you need any further proof of why this thing is awsomesauce then check out the embedded Youtube video showing the PowerUp in action.