I never really thought about how heavy equipment gets to remote locations. For instance, the giant cutters that they use logging when they are miles from a paved road. That stuff has to get there by helicopter often.

The problem is that the most powerful helicopter today can only lift 20 tons. Really heavy equipment simply can’t get where it’s needed at times today. A company called Skylifter has unveiled a new way to transport up to 150 tons of gear.

That ARdrone flying copter thing that is controlled by the iPhone is cool and all, but some folks want to roll their own. A designer named Jose Julio has accomplished the feat.

Juilo has added some very cool features to his quadcopter that the ARdrone lacks. The ArduIMU quadcopter has infrared and ultrasonic sensors to allow it to detect obstacles and fly around them.

The folks at Parrot have released a new toy RC toy called the AR.Drone, a “quadricopter” that can be controlled and viewed with an iPhone or iPod touch through a WiFi connection. The AR.DRONE works like a remote control helicopter with four separate helicopter blades to maneuver the device, but that is definitely not what makes this copter cool.

What really sets this guy apart from the others is that you can control it with your iPhone or iPod touch using the built-in accelerometers which will sense which way you tip the phone and maneuver the AR.Drone accordingly. The quadricopter also has a couple of cameras on board, one for “seeing” what the AR.Drone sees real-time through the iPhone, but also another camera on the bottom which can track speed and help the ‘copter maintain a still flight.

As a kid(Or even an adult) how many times have you tried to use the force to lift your X-wing toy as if you were Yoda extracting it from the swamp. Sadly, your efforts always fail so you heat up another hot-pocket and get back to your nerd message boards.

Well now you really can control your own X-wing, even if it isn’t with the power of your mind. The RCX4 Star Stryker Helicopter is a remote-controlled X-Wing with four helicopter propellers on board. It can hover in place as well as fly in all directions. But sadly I see no room for Luke’s action figure.

Since 2004, the Hotelicopter project has been underway. So for 5 years they’ve been working on modifying a Soviet-made Mil V-12 into the “world’s biggest helicopter” and at the same time, the “world’s first flying hotel. It’s an amazing piece of work, like a double-decker bus for the skies.

It’s the ultimate in luxury air travel, with private entertainment systems and room service. Plus you get extras like spa treatments, yoga classes, gaming and a tea garden. To give you some idea of it’s size, check out the specs below.

The rugged laptop is a strange beast that forsakes some of the portability of a normal laptop to allow the rugged system to be used in environments where a standard laptop would not be able to operate. Dell recently introduced a new rugged laptop called the E6400 and last year unveiled the rugged D630 that met many military specifications.

Today GD Itronix has announced its own rugged laptop called the GD8000. The machine can be had in a 13.3-inch version that meets military specifications and offers capacitive touch technology in the screen. The manufacturer claims that the machine can withstand 30 gallons of water blown at 40 mph without failing and well as vibrations caused by a helicopter.

This remote has us asking a single question. Why? It’s bizarre. Even so, couch potatoes will love it. It’s a cube that flips open to reveal the control buttons. It even has a retro-looking speaker on top.

It has that look about it that says, “I’m an evil genius taking over the world. But right now I need some TV time.” It certainly looks like it’s capable of opening trap doors and remotely flying helicopters, so I guess it has a purpose. You can get yourself this cube controller for just $41.

If dinosaurs waged war with our technology this is what the helicopter might look like. The Triceracopter is half Triceratops, half helicopter. It was originally built as a sculpture in 1977 by artist Patricia Renick, but now it’s available to the likes of you and I.

The Triceracopter is all about the “Hope for the Obsolescence of War,”. Makes sense I guess, since a triceratops can’t fly and is extinct. When I look at it I don’t see the obsolescence of war. I see an awesome dinosaur helicopter that would surely lay waste to anything in it’s sights. A helicopter that can rain death from above, then land and walk into a ground assault. Maybe that’s just me.

It took long enough didn’t it? But it has arrived. The same benefits of HD DVD have finally made it over to Blu-ray. A Blu-ray/DVD hybrid disc. It features a single-layer of Blu-ray on one side and a standard DVD on the very same side (You won’t have to flip it).

As you are used to hearing, it’s appearing first in Japan, with something called Code Blue emergency helicopter doctor Blu-ray BOX as the first hybrid title. It’s a shame we have to miss that one. No word yet on when or if we will see this technology in the states, but a little backwards compatibility never hurt anybody.

The company Zagg is pretty well known for invisibleShield, its tough film protective layer which covers portable electronics. It is introducing some new layers this week targeted at the newly released iPod nano, touch and classic.

Zagg’s invisibleShield, according to the company, “is made from a patented adhesive film exclusive to the company.” It is said to have been “originally utilized by the U.S. military to protect helicopter blades from wind, sand and the wear and tear of high-speed travel.” It is 0.2mm thick and custom cut to match specifics of each iPod model.

The Heatsheets Survival Blanket is for emergency situations, not for those who have a weird cocoon fetish. Anyway, I’m pretty sure you can’t eat your way out of it after metamorphosis. It fits two people and conveniently has survival and first-aid instructions printed directly on the blanket.

The bright orange color makes it easier for rescuers to spot, though with both people in it and moving around it would probably look like the blob from a helicopter. Hopefully they will want to investigate rather then call for an airstrike. Apparently it reflects up to 90% of radiated body heat so don’t be afraid to get a little frisky while waiting for help. Say, did it occur to anyone that you might have to leave the safety of the blanket to read some of those fancy first-aid instructions? That’s not good if you are in freezing conditions.

Generally things with wheels don’t leave the ground. Of course, there were the flying motorcycles of Galactica 1980, but that was fiction. Very bad fiction.

Here’s a single seat motorbike/tricycle that lets you ride on the open road and when traffic gets too congested, you can just take to the skies and arrive at work in style. It uses of propeller blades like a helicopter and can reach flying speeds of 160 km/h and land speeds of 90 km/h. The only problem is that we are going to have to rethink garage design and put gas stations on rooftops.

Back when the original iPhone launched I was upset that a few short weeks after I got my phone it had scratches all over it. To keep this from getting any worse I got my hands on a product from Zagg called invisibleSHIELD. The stuff is made from a super strong and invisible film the military uses to protect the blades of helicopters from scratches and nicks.

Zagg cuts the stuff to the exact fit for the iPhone and has for the last three weeks been offering pre-order kits that protect the screen and body of the iPhone 3G. Zagg says that so far it has had 50,000 orders for the iPhone 3G kit.

Wireless provider Verizon and designer Paul Frank are teaming to provide wireless users stylish new cases for their mobile devices. These new Paul Frank designed cases and pouches are priced at around $25 and $15 respectively.

Three products are specific to this Paul Frank inspired line up. One is a PDA case which fits almost any Verizon PDA. It has a belt clip, removable wrist strip and comes screen- printed in the Skurvy pattern. The other case is for mobile phones. Verizon says this case, printed in the Julius pattern, is versatile and fits most phones. It includes a carabineer clip and removable wrist strap.

Look. Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…Asimo?

If you are like me, you love robots. And like me you have probably wished that little robots were flying around you in the air at all times. You probably also love Asimo, Honda’s robot. Well, my friends, a dream has now come true that combines all of those things. I for one, am very happy.

Kyosho’s Robo Hopper stands about 6-inches tall and looks an awful lot like Asimo. You can operate him like any other remote controlled helicopter, scaring humans everywhere into thinking that robots are taking over the world with tiny air vehicles.