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Control your own augmented reality aerial drone? There’s an app for that

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The AR.Drone from Parrot is a four-rotor helicopter that you control with your iPhone or iPod Touch
The AR.Drone from Parrot is a four-rotor helicopter that you control with your iPhone or iPod Touch
The AR.Drone features four rotors and a forward-facing camera that streams live video over Wi-Fi
The AR.Drone's forward video camera can stream augmented-reality video directly to your iPhone or iPod Touch
Parrot's AR.Drone during a demonstration flight at CES 2010
The AR.Drone features an ultrasonic altimeter and downward-facing video camera as part of its navigation system
The AR.Drone offers interchangeable hulls; the indoor hull is shown here at CES 2010
An example of an in-flight video display streaming from the AR.Drone
The AR.Drone shown with a 3D target and the augmented video image of a "robot battle" (inset)
Two AR.Drones duel using augmented reality for targeting and firing
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New from electronics maker Parrot comes the AR.Drone, a Wi-Fi helicopter with dual cameras and augmented-reality video streaming, that you control using your iPhone or iPod Touch. Although the RC flyer is still in the prototype stage, Parrot has been demonstrating it at the 2010 CES show in Las Vegas. The AR.Drone features four rotors and interchangeable hulls for flying both indoors and outside. Built-in flight stabilization technology keeps the drone steady while you use your iPhone’s motion sensors to steer it remotely over the craft’s Wi-Fi network.

If the AR.Drone looks familiar, it may remind you of the CyberQuad unmanned aerial vehicle we covered in December. Unlike the CyberQuad, the AR.Drone is meant for consumer use. Weighing about 400g (0.9lbs) the drone features a carbon-fiber frame and Styrofoam hulls for light weight and resiliency against bumps. The smaller hull is intended for outdoor use, while the larger hull includes rotor guards for use when flying indoors. Parrot says the onboard Lithium-ion batteries provide enough power for 15 minutes of flying time.

Although Parrot has previously been known for their wireless speaker systems, they spent four years developing the AR.Drone with an eye to creating an augmented reality gaming platform. Using its forward facing streaming video camera, the AR.Drone onboard image processing can detect other drones or 3D targets. You can then fire virtual rockets or lasers at the target for simulated battles. Several demo games are on display, but Parrot hopes that game developers will take advantage of their open API to develop more games and other applications for the AR.Drone.

To make the AR.Drone easy to fly, Parrot developed a microelectromechanical (MEMS) inertial guidance system that includes a three-axis accelerometer, a two-axis gyroscope, and a single-axis precision gyroscope for yaw. The flyer also includes an ultrasonic altimeter and a down-facing video camera for calculating speed and position. These elements combine to allow the AR.Drone to compensate for windy conditions, and even to hover unattended. Piloting the drone is accomplished by tilting your iPhone or iPod Touch. The remote control connection is established through the AR.Drone’s built-in Wi-Fi network, and the unit’s forward-facing video camera streams its feed directly to the screen on your iPhone. If you remove you finger from the iPhone, the AR.Drone’s autopilot keeps the drone hovering about a meter (3.3ft) off the ground. If the network connection is lost, the autopilot will stabilize the drone and slowly lower it to the ground for a soft landing.

Parrot hopes to make the AR.Drone available in the second half of 2010. There’s no word yet on pricing. For more information visit ardrone.parrot.com. For details about the open API, visit projects.ardrone.org.

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3 comments
Facebook User
This is Awesome! Great idea and looks way easier to fly than a regular helicopter. I want one! Love the fact I can use my Iphone to control it...
Ken Romero
That\'s awesome! I want one. But doesn\'t Apple\'s iPhone terms of service stipulate that using the iPhone to control remote vehicles of any type is prohibited? How is Parrot going to get around that? Through a Web page-based proxy of some sort?
Facebook User
Coolest iPhone product to debut this year! We are the biggest fan of the ARDrone - http://www.ardrone-parrot.com