Launched today in time for the start of the seventh series of Doctor Who on September 1, the Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control is based on the famous tool that was first introduced to the BBC show in 1968.
The product has been made by The Wand Company Limited, which previously appeared onDragon's Den with the Kymera Wand, a remote control wand that took inspiration from the world of magic and wizards.
After a bidding war on the BBC Two show, entrepreneurs Chris Barnardo and Richard Blakesley accepted a £200,000 offer from tough-talking Scot Duncan Bannatyne to back their business.
While showing the Kymera Wand around the world, the duo were asked if they could do a Sonic Screwdriver. After taking the idea to BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm that handles the Doctor Who brand, they found that the BBC was keen to do the same thing.
Designed, built and brought to market in just 14 months, the product is fully licensed by the BBC and features a design apparently signed off by Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat and seen by Mark Thompson, the outgoing director general of the corporation.
Clearly a great amount of time and effort has been devoted to this product; from the quality feel of the device itself to the blueprint on the instruction manual packed with information taken from science fact and fiction (including a breakdown of a fish finger).
The Screwdriver has been modelled to look like the one used by Matt Smith's Doctor - cobbled together from bits salvaged around the universe. The product has been machined to feature only a minimum of screws on the body, while the grip on the handle has been formed from plastic that has been glazed to make it look like china.
But to unlock the remote control functionality requires a bit of effort on the user's part. Despite being beautifully laid out on a manual that features retro drawings and pictures, the instructions for the device are rather intimidating at first.
The product has to be programmed and it may take a little time and effort to get the most out of it.
A main home button at the bottom of the grip handles the core menu tasks, and the screwdriver has a series of programmable motion gestures, such as rotating the device, moving it from side to side, tapping the sides or jabbing the whole thing forward.
Each of these 13 different gestures can be programmed to perform a certain function on any product that has an infrared remote, such as a television, home entertainment system or even a PC with a remote control or IR dongle.
After entering the programme mode, you make the gesture and then point the remote's infrared light into the screwdriver's glowing green end. You then perform the action you want, such as turning the volume up, and the system automatically assigns the gesture to the action.
So, for example, you could do a rotating action to the right and then assign this to turn the volume up on a television. The screwdriver will remember that and always perform the function when pointed at the TV or other device.
Spend a bit of time with the Screwdriver, and you can programme it to perform pretty much all the major functions of a remote control. There are also four memory banks available for multiple different devices.
A lock code can be set that prevents anyone but the intended 'Doctor' from using it. However, anyone who forgets the code can just take out the batteries, which resets it without erasing any of the pre-programmed gesture functions.
Alongside the remote control functionality, the device also has a range of FX sound effects, including all the noises made by Sonic Screwdrivers used by Time Lords throughout the ages.
It comes with a plastic cradle that is designed to look like the console of the Tardis. Placing the device in the cradle while in FX mode means that it does not power down, but rather the tip flashes every two seconds. After 1,963 flashes - set to the year 1963 when Doctor Who first aired - it emits one of 11 morse code messages, ranging from "Sonic Screwdriver OK" to "fish fingers and custard".
The Wand Company has produced the product in China, but used a factory with high ethical standards and working conditions. The chosen company was the first to be awarded an ICTI certificate and also counts LEGO and Microsoft among its clients.
The Sonic Screwdriver is available now to buy from Firebox, priced at £59.99. The Wand Company hopes that the product will kick start a new wave of collectables based on famous properties such as Doctor Who that actually have a real-world function beyond being cool to look at and hold.
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