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"Smartphone controlled toys are the new cool tech toys that everyone wants. Remote controlled toys are cool, but app remote controlled toys are in another league. These toys are really impressive not just to kids but even to parents, and most families these days have an iPad or Android tablet or access to downloaded apps through their smartphones. Developers are fostering the latest craze by connecting toys to smart technology and letting kids use their mobiles as controllers. Here are the 10 coolest app remote controlled toys available today that parents and kids will have so much fun with."

"iDevices used as remote controls are not new but many teachers are now looking at how some of the new robotic devices can be used as part of their normal teaching and learning."

"Anna Young helps nurses get creative when treating their patients. In the last year, she's set up two "maker-spaces" inside hospitals and she's continued to document nurse-made fixes and workarounds that make patients' lives a little more bearable. Examples include glow-in-the-dark pill bottles, bed-shower overlays, and a TV remote control for patients with tremors in their fingers. Since Young cofounded MakerNurse in 2013, she's collected more than 50 device ideas from around the country, publishing how-to guides for each online so that others can iterate on the concepts. The first maker-space is up and running at the John Sealy Hospital in Galveston, Texas and another is opening soon at South Shore Hospital, in Weymouth, Massachusetts. Each has an array of pliers, sewing needles, 3-D printers, laser cutters, and medical prototyping equipment like "vital signs" construction sets and biocompatible adhesives. In all, about 1,000 nurses have worked with MakerNurse so far. And, through a related organization, Maker Health, Young now wants to involve other frontline workers, and even patients themselves."

"Toy take apart and hacking is a high engagement activity that works for kids of all ages, including adults who haven't lost their sense of kid, and both genders. I have done it multiple times during my summer maker camp for elementary level kids, my gifted students, and at conferences as part of teacher professional development. Here is a description of this activity from the tinkering studio at the Exploratorium: Do you ever wonder what's inside your toys? You'll make some exciting and surprising discoveries about their inner parts when you don some safety goggles and get started dissecting your old stuffed animal, remote controlled car, or singing Santa. Use screwdrivers, seam rippers, scissors, and saws to remove your toy's insides. Check out the mechanisms, circuit boards, computer chips, lights, and wires you find inside. Once you've fully dissected your toy, you can use the toy's parts, your tools, and your imagination to create a new original plaything.  (https://tinkering.exploratorium.edu/toy-take-apart)"

"It's always exciting to see your hard work finally pay off. Waddington35 and his buddy tirelessly worked to build a homemade remote control airplane made out of nothing but cardboard. Finally, at the moment of truth, they threw the plane into the air and it flew! Their giddy excitement is palpable. Now this video has gone viral with over 630,000 views!"

udefn is a SMS service which lets you define keywords or shortcuts to your favorite bots. It turns your phone into a remote control. Just text your command. Customize your profile to read the latest news, see RSS updates, or even trigger your backup.

"Since a studio offers a controlled workspace, you don't have to deal with the whims of natural light or environment. Several apps feature an intervalometer for firing off shots at specific intervals, which can then be combined into a time-lapse video later. But here I want to focus on a clever app that makes the process of creating time-lapse or stop-motion videos easy on the iPad. iStopMotion for iPad by Boinx Software ($9.99) can use the iPad's built-in camera or an iPhone (or iPod touch) with the help of the iStop-Motion Remote Camera app."

"Remote controlled cars are fun, sure, but self-driving robotic cars are even more fun. In this tutorial, we'll build a four-wheeled robot that can drive around and avoid obstacles. I purchased this complete 4WD kit from AliExpress, but you could easily buy most of these components from an electronics store and put it together yourself. I recommend reading through all of the instructions before you start, as that will make some things clear that might be confusing on the first time through. Also, this may look like a very long, advanced project due to the length of the instructions, but it's actually pretty simple. No need to be intimidated - this is a beginner level project that you can get some satisfying results with, then build upon as you learn more. Don't like this style of robot? Here's some more Arduino robots you could easily build instead."

"What do remote controllers, routers, and robots all have in common? Microcontrollers! These days, beginner-friendly microcontrollers are easy to use and program with just a laptop, a USB cable, and some (free) open-source software. Woohoo!! All the projects, here we come! The catch? There are like, 4324302* different microcontrollers and it can be daunting to get started, especially if you're just getting into electronics. Where the heck do you start?! Right here, bbies, I got chu. Whether you are looking to build some cool electronic projects, learn programming/tech, or wanting to teach others about electronics, this tutorial will help you figure out what microcontroller is right for your needs, goals, and budgets. Yay! Let's get started!"