Today Parrot heralded the release of Disco, the first fixed-wing drone that can fly itself and brings the action right to pilots' eyes - literally.
It's crazy just how far the technology's come in the past few months - and what's been added. At this year's CES, the French firm showcased the Disco prototype, and now it's ready to fly to consumers starting next month in the US.
One of the most striking features of the Disco is how you send it soaring; all you have to do is grab hold and toss it like a frisbee, and it will automatically take off, ascending all on its own. Once airborne, the Disco can reach up to 50 mph and fly for 45 minutes. Weighing only 1.6 pounds (about 3 kilograms), it should be easy for any to lift.
There's no need to be an experienced pilot with the Parrot Disco, and it takes the unsteadiness of quad-copters out of the equation. The Disco takes off and lands automatically, and an autopilot function helps control it in-flight. The drone will fly to an altitude of 164ft, then circle until it's told otherwise.
Autopilot prevents the drone from performing maneuvers that would bring it down, while sensors like an accelerometer, barometer and gyroscope along with triple-axis digital stabilization keep it steady during flight.
Parrot, it seems, is making it easier for even the biggest klutz to take to the air. At this rate, fully autonomous drones can't be too far off.
Turn your headset
The drone maker has created a first person view (FPV) headset dubbed Parrot Cockpitglasses, streaming whatever the Disco's Full HD front camera sees straight to the pilot's view. You'll need an copilot present when you're wearing it, Parrot does warn.
Stick a smartphone into the headset, and you can stream live video captured by Disco's 14MP front camera and enjoy a fully immersive, wide-angle HD view of the flight. The Disco includes 32GB of memory to save what your drone sees in the air.
The headset is a first for the company, providing an immersive experience with a smartphone, and not something we've seen many other consumer drone makers dabble into.
You're in control - sort of
The Disco connects to the Parrot ecosystem through Wi-Fi, and users will pilot it with the Skycontroller 2 control pad or the Flight Plan app using the embedded GPS for waypoints. There's a "takeoff/landing" button users can push on the Skycontroller 2 to perform those tasks.
Disco inherits the 3-axis digital stabilization of the Bebop drone camera. It takes off and lands automatically for a completely renewed user experience and soft, safe landings - it'll return to you in a straight line after decelerating its engine.
Other intelligent drones include Yuneec Typhoon H and DJI on autonomous flight control features, including built-in obstacle avoidance and the ability to track objects on its 4K camera.
The Parrot Disco drone will retail for $1,299/£1,149.99. The price, though steep, includes a Skycontroller 2 and a pair of Parrot Cockpitglasses.
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