LONDON, Nov 24 — Santa will soon be on his way, and this year he'll be bringing the latest technology in a range of new toys.

With toy giants such as The Toy Insider and Hamleys recently releasing their predictions for the hottest toys of the year, here we round up which techy toys kids will be putting on their lists this Christmas.

Dance Code featuring Disney Princess Belle

Toys that teach kids coding are becoming increasing popular, so the new Dance Code featuring Disney Princess Belle looks set to be a hit this Christmas, offering kids the chance to recreate Beauty and the Beast scenes with the beloved Disney character.

Parents first need to download the Dance Code app, connect it to the Belle doll via Bluetooth, and kids can then choreograph Belle's dance moves in the iconic ballroom scene, all while learning coding techniques.

Different characters are also available in the game, giving kids opportunities to play with their favourite of Belle's friends while learning even more coding methods.

Smart robot Meccano MAX. — Handout via AFP

Meccano MAX

Meccano MAX might be small, but he features some of the most advanced technology yet.

After first building MAX from scratch using his 332 pieces, kids will then be able to download his base level of knowledge from the Meccano website, uploading it using a USB chord.

After that kids can start playing with and interacting with MAX in many different ways, giving them their own personal robot as MAX learns from them using his artificial intelligence to speak, move, tell jokes, sing, and more.

Gesture-controlled drone Aura. — Handout via AFP

Aura

New drone Aura uses patented Gesturebotics technology powered by LocoRobo to enable kids to fly the drone with just a hand gesture.

Simple to use, children just need to wear the glove controller, use the Velcro straps to attach the control panel, then turn on the drone and prepare for it to fly.

Once kids have mastered the basics, lift up the hand to ascend, push down to descend, and perform a swiping motion to either side to fly left or right, they can then learn how to perform a variety of impressive side flips. — AFP-Relaxnews