iPhone-controlled drone demo'ed at CES

[TruthSeeker]

Hovering drone draws rave reviews at CES



LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Hovering silently a few feet off the ground it looks like a flying saucer out of a Steven Spielberg film.

But it's no alien device. It's a new toy called the AR.drone from French company Parrot -- a small remote-controlled helicopter which is piloted using an Apple iPhone or an iPod Touch through a Wi-Fi connection.

A demonstration of the miniature helicopter, or quadricopter for its four propellers, drew rave reviews at the opening here of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) as it flew around the heads of exhibitors and journalists.

The pilot maneuvers the drone using the accelerometer in an iPhone or iPod.

Moving the iPhone forward makes the AR.Drone go forward while a sideways movement makes it turn a corner or change direction. Command buttons on the iPhone allow it to go up or down.

Parrot specializes in making hands-free wireless systems for cars and company founder Henri Seydoux said the AR.Drone is the first product of its kind from the Paris-based firm, which employs 450 people worldwide.

"We expect to have it on the market sometime this year," the Parrot chief executive told AFP.

He declined to name a price saying it had not yet been set.

The AR.Drone weighs just over 300 grams, or half a pound, and is equipped with a video camera that streams to the iPhone or iPod the view from the "cockpit."

The AR.Drone can be used for what Parrot called "augmented reality gaming" -- allowing "real world objects and conditions, like a tree or wind, to become a part of the video gaming experience."

Parrot said the AR.Drone is built on an open platform and the company is inviting outside developers to creates games for the device.

AFP: Hovering drone draws rave reviews at CES

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Uh oh! Will take "watching" to a whole new level!

 

[TruthSeeker]

Flying Quadricopter Drone Controlled by an iPhone

Robert S. Anthony, PC World, Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The AR.Drone, a four-rotor "quadricopter" which is controlled by Wi-Fi signals, includes wireless cameras that can stream video to a iPhone or IPod Touch, thus allowing you to use your actual surroundings as "targets" in a "augmented reality" (that's what the AR stands for) video game. Want to take out those mean goldfish? You can hover the copter nearby, focus on them with the wireless cameras, target the dangerous beasts and "fire" away.

The copter, made of carbon fiber and PA66 plastic, can be used outdoors with the rotors unprotected or indoors with a shield which protects and allows the copter to bump gently against obstacles--like unwary people--without damaging the rotors.

The quadricopter is controlled by accelerometers and an embedded Linux platform originally designed for mobile phones, according to Parrot. The open-source platform is being made available to software developers at CES, the company said. In unveiling the AR.Drone, Parrot said that software for controlling the copter would be available on a number of platforms, not just the iPhone and iPod Touch.

At CES Unveiled, a press-only event, the purple and black AR.Drone buzzed around near the main entrance, drawing a steady stream of wide-mouthed still and video photographers. People were able to walk fairly close to the unit, which was able to hover solidly in a single position and then fly off smoothly. The AR.Drone has a top speed rating of about 11 mph and weighs 12.7 ounces without the protective hull and 14.1 ounces with it.

The unit runs on a necessarily lightweight, three-cell, 1,000 mAh lithium polymer battery. It has a 15-frame-per-second (fps) front camera as well as a high-speed (60fps) vertical camera that looks straight down. The four 15-watt rotors spin as fast as 1,500rpm.

Parrot is better known for its Bluetooth devices such as wireless stereo speakers and handsfree automotive gadgets. It bills the AR.Drone as the "first helicopter with automatic flight stabilization."

The unit will be available later this year, the company said. Pricing has not been set.

Read more: Flying Quadricopter Drone Controlled by an iPhone

 

[All-Green]

Uh oh! Will take "watching" to a whole new level!

A heaven sent for stalkers and peeping toms...

Seriously though, a very interesting gadget.
Any idea about the attainable altitude in stable flight?

 

[Farhan Shafi]

Wow !! v.intresting gadget !!!