Turn a Paper Plane into a Drone with Your Smartphone

Bethany Whitfield

Thursday, June 12, 2014 at 08:09 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

PowerUp Toys has introduced a gadget that transforms homemade paper airplanes into smartphone-controlled flying drones.
The device, comprising a small battery and motor, connects via Bluetooth to an app, enabling flights of up to 10 minutes.
Priced at $49.99, the product successfully raised over $1.2 million on Kickstarter, vastly exceeding its initial $50,000 goal.
Though the founder maintains it's a toy, there is speculation regarding its potential for more sophisticated drone applications.

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Ever wish that paper airplane you made would go just a little bit farther? Thanks to a new gadget from PowerUp Toys, you can now make that homemade airplane go the distance by turning it into a flying drone.

To make it happen, users can simply add a dime-size battery and motor to their paper plane and connect it to their smartphone using Bluetooth. The app will reportedly allow the paper airplane to remain in flight for up to 10 minutes, and users can monitor the remaining battery level through an indicator on screen.