Overdrive is an updated version of the platform, and the $150 starter kit now comes with a modular track made up of four straight pieces and four turns. Not the least of which was that price, but the original track also came printed on a single sheet of vinyl. There were a few shortcomings with the product, however. It was a neat idea: Marry smart devices with slot car racing and layer on video game-style mechanics for something that felt brand new. What is going on?Īnki Overdrive is a sequel to the Anki Drive platform that came out in 2014 for $200. But what you get is a rather amazing mixture of classic play and video games. The "game" I'm playing is a mix of classic slot cars and Mario Kart, and the starter kit costs a rather steep $150 and requires the use of two iOS or Android devices to pilot the cars. I hit the button on my phone to fire my tractor beam, and the other car slows down until it's in range of my main weapon, and I fire, causing the second car to stop completely. The cars are 1/43 scale, close to O gauge trains, and go well with these scale models.The toy car on the plastic track is talking to me, explaining the mechanics of the game. Digital Dream Labs has run a very successful Kickstarter campaign as well as two other funding campaigns and appears to be in good shape for the near future. However, little information is available on this new racing system. They announced a new racing system called, “Infini Drive” that will be compatible with Overdrive. Digital Dream labs also repairs old Anki Drive and Overdrive cars. These will be available for purchase again in the Spring of 2021. In December 2019, the company Digital Dream Labs, a game/education focused company, acquired the rights to Anki technology and began supporting their robots, Cosmo and Vector. Soldering can also be a fun hobby to build circuit boards and other electronics. A soldering iron can be used to remove the leads, pull out the battery, and solder in a fresh new battery. The 3.7V 75 mAh battery used by Anki has + and – leads that are soldered into the main board to provide the cars with power. There are online tutorials for replacing the batteries. Vector, Cosmo and Overdrive bought now, may not work unless the batteries are replaced. The batteries may not hold a charge this long. Thus, cars bought in January 2021 could be almost 2 years old. Because Anki shut down in May 2019, the last production run would have been prior to this date. They are high powered, rechargeable batteries that should last several years when properly maintained. The batteries are “hard-wired” into the Overdrive cars and robots. The cars and robots use Lithium Polymer Batteries ( ). The company was unable to secure funds for their long-term goals. The toys were meant to be a development tool. Anki ultimately failed, it seems, because the interest of the founders lay in developing advanced AI and robotics, not toys. This same year, Anki released the toy robot, “Cosmo.” Cosmo was a huge success. 2015 saw the release of the upgrade to Drive, the new and improved “Overdrive.” Overdrive was also a top seller. Drive became the #2 selling toy on Amazon in 2014. In the fall of 2013, they released their first product, a toy racing game called “Drive” that used a phone app to drive infrared sensing cars around a track imprinted on a mat. Their aim was to develop Robotics and AI Technology, such as robotic assistants and self-driving vehicles. Anki was founded in 2010 by a few Robotics Engineers who met at Carnegie Mellon. “Overdrive” is the name of a car racing game created in 2015 by the ex-company Anki. If you want help, but don't want to read all this, skip to the links below.
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