Awesome Smartphone-Controlled Paper Airplane Has Raised $490,000+ On Kickstarter

PowerUp 3.0, a device that lets you control paper airplanes with a smartphone app, is becoming the must-have new toy, though, sadly, it won't be available in time for Christmas.

That hasn't stopped people from lining up to preorder and support the project on Kickstarter. It's inventor, Shai Goitein (working with smartphone gadget maker company TobyRich) was hoping to raise $50,000. He's got about another month to go on Kickstarter (fund-raising period ends January 25) and he's already raised $490,720, and counting.

PowerUp began as a way to add an electric propeller to an ordinary paper airplane. And you can buy that propeller kit right now. The Kickstarter campaign is to raise money for a Bluetooth module that will attach to the propeller kit and let you control the airplane from an iPhone or Android phone.

Goitein had originally hoped to have the PowerUp 3.0 available by October, but now it will be here in the spring, just when folks are shaking off winter and ready to play outside, according to the timeline posted on Kickstarter.

The device is expected to cost $50.

Here's the remote controlled paper airplane in action (skip to the 1:00 mark to see the device).