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This article was taken from the December 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Welcome to Wired's roundup of the hottest products for the coming year -- from hi-tech toys to thousand-year stopwatches.
Here, Wired takes you through a selection of toys for smart kids (and grown-ups).
Crystal Maze
Hammacher Schlemmer Superplexus (above)
This spherical brainteaser taxes manual dexterity and spatial awareness as you attempt to manoeuvre a marble through a 3D maze.
Turning the 92cm-diameter acrylic sphere rolls the ball through a network of chicanes, hairpin turns, spirals and a vortex.
The 100m winding track, made from Finnish birch, is as long as a football pitch. $30,000 (£19,000)
Early Rider
GYRObike 3-in-1
Gyroscopic tech similar to that found in helicopters can help youngsters learn to cycle. The GYRObike's battery-powered gyrowheel auto-corrects wobbly riders.
The bike teaches in three steps: first as a balance-bike; then pedals and the gyrowheel are added; finally the gyrowheel is replaced with a regular one. £229
Massive attack
Nerf N-Strike Elite Hail-Fire
The office-warfare arms race just got serious -- the Hail-Fire comes with four ammo clips and 24 foam darts for rapid-fire action, and can take a total of eight clips and a mighty 144 darts (ammo available separately).
The payload is held in a rotating rack and released mechanically, blasting foes up to 22 metres away. The downside is collecting the darts afterwards. £40
Hexapodal DIY bug-bot
ArcBotics Hexy
Hexapodal robots are a popular tool for learning basic robotics -- and Hexy's open-source hardware and software make him an ideal educational toy.
The six legs are animated by 18 servo motors controlled by an Arduino (you can add up to 32 servos). Once assembled, you can load up the demo code to get him moving right away, or write your own code to make Hexy walk and dance, or explore concepts such as inverse kinematics. $250
House bricks
LEGO Architecture Villa Savoye
This model of the French country house designed by modernist Le Corbusier, went through 15 iterations before LEGO's designers were satisfied.
All the details of the ground-breaking original, from the slender support columns to the ribbon windows and the roof-deck entertaining area, have been recreated in 660 bricks. And, at 9cm tall, it won't take up too much real estate on your desk. £60
Duelling droids
Combat Creatures Attacknid
This warlike 25cm-tall RC robot is designed to destroy (well, disable) other Attacknids by firing foam discs at them. With a choice of weaponry at your disposal you can blast away your opponent's armour and even decapitate them if you hit the impact sensor on their head.
Up to 40 Attacknids can do battle at once, thanks to frequency-switching controllers. Let battle commence. £69.99
Power play
Playmobil E-Rangers Headquarters
The latest Playmobil series casts the plastic characters as interplanetary explorers in the year 2113, and their hi-tech home is a step forward for the brand, too -- the set introduces solar-powered circuits and infrared weapons.
Power crystals that complete circuits in their various battery-operated vehicles are what keeps playtime going. £75
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
