AND YOU THOUGHT SIZZLERS WERE A SACRILEGE?:

It took a while, but Hot Wheels has released its own artificial intelligence package. It's similar to Anki's, in that it's a slot-cars-without-the-slots toy set, but it's both less "intelligent" and more open-ended than Anki's system. It's also not entirely original: It uses technology from Real FX, an erstwhile Kickstarter project that launched its own racing system last year. To the Real FX platform, Hot Wheels has added redesigned controllers and swappable car shells.

First, the similarities between this system and Anki's: Both use specially encoded tracks and infrared sensors under each car to guide the vehicles around the course. In Hot Wheels AI, you can race against the "computer" or another human; in the computer-driven mode, the cars will just stay on the road no matter what.

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