What Parrot’s AR Drone Does

So, what all does this thing do? Well, for one, it flies. The Drone uses four helicopter-style rotors to fly and hover. It can be used both indoors and outdoors, and even features two hulls specific for indoor or outdoor flying. The indoor hull features a slightly smaller construction, and plastic pieces which protect each of the four rotors. The hulls are also both impressive and distinctive to look at.

Now, it must do more than just fly. Parrot would have a hard time finding takers if they were just selling a basic flying toy for such a hefty price tag. No, it’s not flying that is the big selling point here; it’s the cameras. The AR Drone features two cameras.

The first one is on the front and has an OK resolution of 640×480 (780p if you upgrade to the AR Drone 2.0), and the other is a lower resolution vertical camera that brags its 60 frames per second ability. While controlling the Drone, the user can watch either camera through the screen, and use the iPod’s gyroscope abilities to control the plane. This combination allows the user to feel like they are piloting the Drone from a cockpit. In fact, once they’ve gained enough experience flying the Drone, most people are able to safely fly the drone without even looking up from their screens.

One of the great things about the Drone, is that is doesn’t require anything to be plugged directly into your device. iPods and Android phones both control the Drone via a Wi-Fi signal. This allows for a decent range, though it is a bit small for much outdoor use. Also, the AR Drone allows the user to record video from either camera while flying. This feature has turned the Drone (especially the AR Drone 2.0) into a great, fairly inexpensive alternative able to capture aerial footage of various things. So far it has been used by everyone from journalists to independent film makers as a great money saving way to captures creative, steady aerial footage.