Originally made for children, now lots of adults refuse to call the die-cast miniature cars as mere toys. They are using the terms collectibles and built a collection of these toys. Hot Wheels are one of the most well-known brands in terms of their availability and distribution.
Over the past few years, Mattel as the owner of Hot Wheels has tried to integrate digital technology into their products. These toys got their reincarnation in terms of digital and get a lot fancier.
Now, the implementation of technology in Hot Wheels cars was carried out through the addition of NFC chips and readiness to support smart tracks. Tagged as Hot Wheels™ ID, the near-field communication chip embedded inside these tiny cars allows it to travel into the other dimension of time and speed.
All of the processes can be done via a smartphone application, so there will be no more account on about who won the match because everything is supported by accurate data. Hot Wheels™ ID has the appearance of a miniature car that you normally see in stores, carrying a scale of 1 to 64 but with an NFC chip on the bottom.
The way to enjoy the Hot Wheels™ ID is similar to the conventional one: put the car in the launcher then press the button repeatedly to make it go without causing the car to fly out of the track. Interestingly, it’s not just the Hot Wheels™ ID’s car that stores technology.
Mattel also affixed the smart system on the track section. The most important component there is the Race Portal NFC reader to calculate crucial statuses, for example, the number of rounds, the maximum speed, and total distance traveled.
Then the data is immediately sent to the mobile app via the Bluetooth connection. Before starting to play, the users need to register their car on the application via NFC. If your device does not have this connectivity, the Race Portal can help the registration process.
Even each part of the track works smartly, communicating between each other via USB so that the application can find out the trajectory of the track used and what it looks like. Alternatively, the users can use non-smart tracks from the Hot Wheels standard set, even though the data cannot be exported to the app.
The application will create a number of challenges to complete, such as completing a round of several times or exceeding a certain speed limit. In addition to playing in the real world, the user can also enjoy virtual racing games in the app, complete with various prizes and exclusive content.
Hot Wheels™ ID is available on the Apple Store where each car is sold for $6.95. The Race Portal is priced at $39.95 but if you wanted to have the full set, you can buy a complete package, including the Smart Track set, which will set you around $179.95.
