By Leo Stiles
One of the things about being a fan of technology is that there is always something around the corner that you never knew you needed. One such thing, and something which is possibly the ultimate in big boys toys, is the Parrot A.R. Drone which takes the concept of a radio-controlled helicopter and turns it into something infinitely cooler.
For starters, the A.R. Drone is a quad-copter with four rotors circling around the main body of the craft that give the Drone an incredible amount of speed and manoeuvrability. In the right hands these things can pinwheel through the air and pull off ninety degree turns. The four propellers also emit a pleasingly menacing whine giving the Drone a nice Terminator vibe.
Still not impressed? Wait, here comes the cool part. Instead of a standard remote control the Drone is operated by an iPod, iPhone or iPad via Wi-Fi. The Drone also sends a live video feed to your screen from two cameras that are mounted on the main body of the drone allowing you to fly the Drone even when it’s out of view.
Only Apple devices are supported at present but Parrot are working on an Android version.
The Drone is fully supported by replacement parts and the app that has been created to control them also has a battle game built into it for you to dogfight with another Drone. The developer also promises another app that will programme the drone to follow acrobatic flight paths automatically, along with the option to learn these manoeuvres yourself.
Sadly this kind of toy doesn’t come cheap and will set you back GB£300 and in a bit of unnecessary expense, the control app will cost an additional €2.39. Naturally if you can afford the Drone we doubt you will be too put out by the price of the app.
The Parrot A.R. Drone can be ordered directly from their website.
As ever with this kind of thing, the best way to get an idea of it is to see it in action.
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