Scalextric Could Be A Thing Of The Past Thanks To This Futuristic RC Racing Game

Since the fifties, kids have been playing with slot car racing sets like Scalextric, but the next generation of living room racers could be using artificial intelligence to stay within the confines of the track. That’s the view of the RealFX Racing team, who have started a KickStarter campaign to fund the impressive tech.

RealFX works by using optical sensors in remote controlled cars to interpret where the car is on the track. It gently nudges the driver towards the centre of the course, but you can’t just power round at full throttle without crashing out onto the carpet. It’s a pretty cool system, which allows users to set up random ‘mechanical malfunctions’, on-track hazards and compulsory pit-stops. You can even place a car on track and set it to AI mode, allowing you to race even when you’re alone.

The tracks are quick and easy to set up, and the UK-based team reckon they can keep costs around £3 per section. Car shells are designed to be easily changeable, so you could eventually end up with everything from F1 to rally cars.

It looks like a decent setup, and while there’s a part of us that will always be nostalgic for Scalextric, we can see how kids could get into this. The KickStarter campaign has so far raised just over half of its £50,000 target, with the deadline set for July 12th 2014.