- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Drone quadricopter piloted by Iphone ready for lift off
- Date: 30th June 2010
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JUNE 22, 2010) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ONE MARYLEBONE, VENUE FOR LAUNCH/TILT TO FRONT PILLARS DECORATED WITH A.R. DRONE BANNER CLOSE-UP OF BANNER HENRI SEYDOUX, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) OF PARROT AND INVENTOR OF A.R. DRONE, DEMONSTRATING THE A.R. DRONE DRONE HOVERING
- Embargoed: 15th July 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Communications,Science / Technology
- Reuters ID: LVARYXIWJOC3BS9MY7S5A706AD2
- Story Text: The Parrot A.R. Drone, a lightweight quadricopter made of plastic, was launched amid much fanfare in London on Tuesday (June 22).
Parrot's CEO Henri Seydoux was the brains behind the Drone and worked alongside his company's engineers to put his invention into action.
"I tried to reinvent a very well-known toy, but today with the sensors, with video cameras, with the Wi-Fi network where you can put many Drones on the same Wi-Fi network, you have new features that have been not explored by the previous games," he explained.
At the launch, in the grandiose settings of a neo-classical church, Seydoux demonstrated how the Drone works.
With in-built cameras that can be operated from an Iphone app, the Drone connects via Wi-Fi and can be steered intuitively by tilting the handset in the direction in which the user wishes the craft to travel.
The Drone is composed of a central cockpit surrounded by four propellers, each driven by an engine.
Streaming video on the iPhone or iPod touch screen enables users to pilot the Drone as if they were sitting in the pilot's seat; the image processing allowing for the integration of real-time special effects of augmented reality (AR).
Parrot is marketing the Drone as the first quadricopter to use AR, a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are augmented by virtual computer-generated imagery.
The first camera, underneath the Drone's structure, is connected to an Inertial Measurement Unit, which helps the Drone measure its speed. Parrot Smart Piloting (PSP) technology compensates for wind during outside flights. These technologies are usually used for professional and military applications, but have been adapted for the gaming universe.
The Drone generates its own Wi-Fi network so users can connect via an iPhone or iPod touch to turn it into a piloting station.
It can travel for up to 50 metres in open spaces. When used inside, in areas with multiple Wi-Fi connections, long-range movement is more difficult. When Wi-Fi connection is lost the Drone will simply fall gently to the floor.
Parrot says the relative lack of distance is unimportant. The point of the Drone is more about using the nifty controls at close-range to play games.
On the user's phone screen live footage from the cameras in the Drone can be played. Superimposed on the image are targets, letting the player engage in contests with other users.
The Drone can either be used alone or alongside multiple partners in a fight scenario. Seydoux explained that the on-board cameras recognise the striped plastic strips attached to other Drones, which enabled them to track them on-screen as they fight.
"You see for example those tags. The camera and the computer on board recognise the tags, so if you have another drone you can shoot it," he said.
To protect the Drone from damage while used indoors it can be attached to a foam protective hull.
Seydoux said the Drone had another purpose - helping children play outdoors instead of being stuck to gaming machines inside their homes.
He explained: "The idea at Parrot is what we can do for video games and mobility, because what is a cellphone? It is a mobile, wearable, tiny computer, so what can I do as video game outside? So this is the full idea of the Drone is to have the kids playing video games, playing with another kind of video game, but in mobility, going in the courtyard, playing together in the beach."
The Drone is released in Britain on August 18 before going on sale in the U.S a month later. It will cost British customers £299 (450 US dollars). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None