I came across Parrot’s AR Drone while writing about some of the new tech we’ll see in 2013 and felt it would be a sin not to share it with everyone.
Building on the success of the original AR Drone that was launched back in 2010, Parrot give us their latest brainchild; the AR Drone 2.0.
New features include a HD camera that records and streams video at 1280 x 720 resolution in real-time at 30 FPS, flight data sharing, a new piloting mode, up to 50% longer flight time, and a bunch of new sensors for improved performance and stability.
The original AR Drone is still unbelievably fun to fly, but one the first things anyone does with it is crash it into something. Parrot have redesigned the hulls of the AR Drone 2.0 to handle a lot more stress.
A lightweight foam hull has also been thrown in for good measure – which is great for flying indoors – as Parrot demonstrated at CES earlier this year when they flew it at into a wall at full speed.
Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Specs
HD Video
- HD Camera – 720p @ 30 FPS
- Low latency streaming
- Video storage on the fly with on the remote device via WiFi, or via USB stick
- H264 video encoding and JPEG photo capture
- Travelling, Plan, and Crane predefined auto-pilot mode for recording
Electronics
- 1 GHz 32-bit ARM Cortex Processor with 800MHz video DSP
- 1 Gbit DDR2 RAM
- Linux 2.6.32 Operating System
- USB 2.0 for extensions
- WiFi (802.11 b, g, and n)
- 3-Axis gyroscope with 2000°/second precision
- 3-Axis accelerometer with +- 50mg precision
- 3-Axis magnetometer with 6° precision
- Pressure sensors
- Ultrasound sensors altitude measurement
- 60 FPS QVGA camera for ground speed measurement
- All parts fully repairable
Nicely explained…. keep it up
Thanks buddy!
Hi,
One of my rotor lights is out and it keeps crashing.
Is there a solution?
Thank you
Jerry Bryant
Deadwood, SD
Hi Jerry,
One of the great things about the AR Drone 2.0 is that nearly every part is replaceable.
Have a look at http://ardrone.parrotshopping.com/uk/p_ardrone_main.aspx
Not sure if they’ll have the part you’re looking for, but it’s worth having a look. Failing that, you should be able to have it replaced by the shop you bought it from.
All the best!
What’s the fly time on a full charge? I think the video said 12 minutes…Any way to get a longer fly time? Also, how would you stream the video live?
Hey Tyler,
You can expect about 10-12 minutes flight time (depending on wind and how you fly it). You could either buy another standard battery or go for a higher capacity one from a third-party. The standard is rated at 1000mAh, but there’s a 1300mAh battery on Amazon that the seller claims has flight time of 15-20min, here: http://goo.gl/SPTXO – The reviews look good, with on guy saying he got at least 20mins from it. There’s possibly higher capacity batteries that are compatible as well, but it would be best to check the weight, size and connector types.
The video streams over WiFi to the controller, such as an iPhone, iPod, iPad, or any Android tablet or smartphone that has WiFi. It’s pretty cool being able to fly it without it being in your line of sight! You can also record directly to a USB stick!