http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 12:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Fail!]]>Jan 7th 2010 12:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/yup.... still waiting...]]>Jan 7th 2010 12:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 12:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 1:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/AMAZING>>> FLying cars here we come]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 12:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/it does not]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 7:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://cnettv.cnet.com/liveatces

Just saw the Lady GaGa article up there.

Sorry, that was completely off topic.]]>Jan 7th 2010 12:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 12:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
if you have to ask, it's not for you]]>Jan 7th 2010 12:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 12:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
A decent RC helicopter will run you around $200. This guys got a couple of decent cameras on board but a more restricted flight distance and no controller. It appears to have a decent surveillance setup out of the box and because of that they may try to market it that way but would most likely fail. If they do go that direction I would guess it would be priced around $500-$600. If they actually want to sell a few of these I would think $250-$350 might be a sweet spot. Let's just hope they've done their due diligence on pricing or the only way many of us are going to enjoy this thing is through Mr. Jones' YouTube video postings.]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
Theres the Draganflyer X6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34No-71KJKs

But for most peeps, budget/fun wise for better outdoor performance is to just use a slow elapor foam parkflyer. =)]]>Jan 7th 2010 3:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 12:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
Something tells me the Apollo astronauts would be want to disagree with you here.]]>Jan 7th 2010 12:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 2:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 2:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Apparently the guidance systems on the Appolo lander was about as clever as your common home appliance and the entire lander about equivalent to a cell phone.]]>Jan 7th 2010 2:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
i believe he was referring to the intelligence of the astronauts themselves.]]>Jan 7th 2010 2:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
Yes, of course, I was referring to the astronauts own intelligence and how the sentence was phrased.
To my knowledge we haven't managed to create a technological intelligence yet, but, of course, I understand what was intended.]]>Jan 7th 2010 3:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
Something tells me you haven't looked into this yourself. Most advanced calculators have more computing power and any smart phone has way more computing power than the Apollo computers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer]]>Jan 7th 2010 6:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 12:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
Another one of those companies to go belly-up in 2010.]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/1. its not limited to iPhone, they simply aren't developing the apps for other devices. 2. No remote == less expensive (theoretically). 3. The same "niche" market that would purchase/has the money for this probably has an iPhone/Touch or another similar device (see 1.).]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/'aren't developing the apps for other devices' is the same is limiting the flying contraption to iPhone/Touch owners. Will they develop for other devices in the future with gyro features? Who knows.

I don't think a controller would be too much more. Think of a Wii Remote. Just replace Bluetooth with WiFi, change the form factor and add some amperage and you're looking at $10 to $15 in production costs.

Sucks cause I like this thing and I don't want an iPhone or Touch. Just give me a remote! (or at least charge a little extra for one)

What's next? A dishwasher that is controlled by your phone? ]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/OH BTW the video is on CNN.com and a lot of other sites =)]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/What I mean is PARROT won't be producing the apps themselves. However they are making the APIs available to all and should be releasing the source code for the iPod app to make it easy for devs to port over, to say, Android devices. This is meant for the open source(ish)/tweaker community.]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:40PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/You missed the open source platform reference at the end of the video then. It isn't just the iProduct that can control it. It's anything with wifi. The source and spec are available, so how long before a bunch of people make their own control programs..]]>Jan 7th 2010 9:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 1:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://bit.ly/4DIgsJ
All company is able to made a Drone with rotor but the Augmented Reality software, no ;-)]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 1:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/i agree, an infrastructure mode wifi connection would be really limited/ pointless.

but imagine if a future iteration had an assignable IP address, and an internet connection on board (via e.g. a rocketstick), then you could control one over the net - which would just be scandalous!]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
The latter wouldn't be pointless. You'd be able to control the device from work to look around the house...which...would...be...pointless...ok, nevermind. LOL.]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 1:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 1:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 1:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
There is a WHOLE BUNCH on YouTube:
http://ardrone.parrot.com/parrot-ar-drone/videos/#player]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:58PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 1:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Nice avatar pic - I have the same lamp and my walls are about the same color!]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/ahhh, now I see it.]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Just remember to wash your hands when you're done ;)

I will never look at a lamp the same way again...*sigh*]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
Oh, and Hollywood & the film industry as well as police, sports teams, TV, are interested too...

This micro UAV is the most "mature" and simple device I've ever seen...someone's going to come knocking. ]]>Jan 7th 2010 1:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
Is it just me or does this look like something that should be on Make or Instructibles? The fact they are trying to sell it is almost funny.]]>Jan 7th 2010 2:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 2:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
Well possibly, but I am thinking a little bit further down the line. Yes, they are marketing it at kids primarily but for them to REALLY make money, they need to scale this technology up to R/C size (gas motors and such). If they could do that, then they will be taken a lot more seriously. The technology they have crammed into that sucker is awesome. Hell, there is a guy named Moller who has spent $200 million on something sort of similar (SkyCar - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_Skycar_M400). Its fine and dandy to push these on kids and us nerdies but if I wanted to get rich, I would be getting serious about taking this product to the "next level".]]>Jan 7th 2010 2:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
I second that...The formulas involved in the aerodynamics to keep it in a stationary hover alone are difficult, not to mention the lack of DIY gyroscope capability.]]>Jan 7th 2010 2:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/
I don't disagree. It just doesn't impress me that much, we have been seeing this kind of thing for years. Moller has been working on his deal for what, 20 years? If they sell this thing for cheap ($100-150) then I will be impressed. ]]>Jan 7th 2010 2:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/parrot-ar-drone-hands-on-a-quadricopter-for-the-rest-of-us/Jan 7th 2010 8:43PM