Parrot’s iPhone-controlled AR.Drone seems more like something the military would put to use, and probably somehow lose control of, but it’s actually a new consumer friendly remote control flying toy that was recently shown off at this year’s CES. The geek in you has probably already forced your hand to reach for your wallet.
The Parrot AR.Drone is a four-propellered ultimate flying machine. The AR.Drone features two cameras, which will allow you to see what the Drone sees via a Wi-Fi connection, and they also apparently are able to help control the device’s speed and altitude. All of this is powered by the AR.Drone’s on-board Linux-based computer.
Besides being able to free fly, Parrot has also included an augmented reality game for the AR.Drone. The AR.Drone will self-hover while you blast away augmented reality enemies on your iPhone, or if you have two drones, you can battle each other. The AR.Drones are intelligent enough not to collide, once again thanks to the on-board Linux computer. If you happen to collide with a wall or another AR.Drone somehow, the device should still hold up thanks to a removable polypropylene hull.
The Parrot AR.Drone will only be controllable via an iPhone app, but Parrot intends to offer up the source code to anyone looking to control it via different methods. According to its Facebook page, the AR.Drone will launch on March 5, 2010 for a yet-to-be determined price.
Embedded below are two video demos of the AR.Drone in action. One demonstrates its free flying abilities, while the other shows off the alternate reality gameplay.
Wow! How incredible cool! Can’t wait until the release. Thanks for the post!
Now that is impressive!
how much would this super awesomeness be???
what was the music in the 1st video?
I’m also wondering what music it could be. I tried to tag it via Shazam several times but with no result. Sorry.
Hi, YES this gadget is absolutely incredible and a MUS HAVE, too !!! Feel free to join us at Twitter
http://twitter.com/ARDroneBattles
and / or
Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ARDrone-Battles/237958626730?ref=ts
We start local (and later nationwide) battles respectively combats
Can’t wait for its release!
Plz spread the word and join us…
What is the name of the music playing on Vid one and two?
The price will probably be a shock when it comes out for $500.00. The drone will probably cost more than the phone due to the initial reaction from potential consumers.
It is pretty cool however. The challenge will be controlling the drone but only through the camera..out of sight flying..I would like to see if I Can fly into my neighbors yard and fly back.
Most awsome toy i have ever seen.
A good price wold be around 500-600
thats ultimate
me wantee!
When can purchase?
The release date for the US is September and the price isn’t that bad $299.00. Pretty cool..