Parrot Bepop Drone Packs a Joystick Controller, Takes Over the Skies

Parrot Bepop Drone

The French manufacturer that made history with its AR.Drone makes a comeback. Bepop Drone comes with many improvements, the most notable being a joystick used for flying it, aptly named Skycontroller.

Bepop Drone, or if you prefer, AR.Drone 3.0, features a better camera than its predecessor, and it is able to cover greater distances. The major selling point, howerer, is represented by the optional joystic-resembling controller.

Parrot used for this drone a 14 MP camera capable of recording video in Full HD. The field of view is of 180-degrees, so there’s not much more to ask from the manufacturer in this regard. Parrot used rubber shock absorbers to make sure that the camera’s functionality is not affected by physical socks.

The 3-axis digital stabilization system employed by Parrot acts as some sort of image stabilization, as it maintains the camera in the pointed direction, despite air currents.

Images and video footage are stored on Bepop Drone’s internal storage. Frankly, 8GB is not much, especially if you are filming in 1080p, so a microSD card would definitely be appreciated.

The GPS module of Bepop enables the drone to cover a pre-programmed path, so it should prove useful for James Bond wannabes. Besides, the drone has a Return Home feature that enables it to come back to the place where it took of from.

Users still have the option to control the Bepop Drone using any iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. Bepop Drone is able to stream over Wi-Fi whatever images or video it shoots using its camera.

The ones wanting to control their drone properly can opt for the Skycontroller. This shaded accessory can host most mobile devices. Its joysticks and buttons allow users to be more accurate in their moves, while still allowing them to watch the streamed video on the device’s display. The amplified Wi-Fi radio and four antennas enable Bepop Drone to fly away for at most 2 kilometers.

The Skycontroller also includes an HDMI port that people can use to connect VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift. That will definitely leave the impression of flying.

According to Parrot, the Bepop Drone and the Skycontroller will be available at the end of the year, just in time for Christmas. However, there has been no word on how much these two products will cost, so we’ll have to wait and see.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Parrot Jumping Sumo and the AR.Drone quadcopter made by Parrot.

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Elite Edition Hits Stores


The parrot AR.Drone flying toy has been around for a while. The latest edition of the AR.Drone is called AR.Drone 2.0 Elite Edition. The Elite edition of the AR.Drone has all the same specs as the...

Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Power Edition stays in the air longer, lands in the US this month

Parrot  ARDrone 20 Power Edition stays in air the longer, landing in the US this month

We'll say this about the AR.Drone's battery life up to now: it always seemed perfectly suited to our short attention spans. For those able to focus on flying objects a bit longer, however, there's the AR.Drone 2.0 Power Edition. The quadricopter's already gotten some love abroad and is set to hit our shores this month, priced at $370 over at that fine purveyor of massage chairs, Brookstone. This time out, the limited edition phone-controlled device brings 36 minutes of flight time (not the first boost we've seen from the company), thanks to two 1,500mAh lithium-polymers. Also new are sets of color blades (including black for when you're feeling a bit stealthier).

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Source: Brookstone

Parrot announces availability for AR.Drone 2.0 add-ons, offers software upgrades

A little good / bad news for those dads who scored an AR.Drone 2.0 for Father's Day over the weekend. It's already time to upgrade. Starting next week, Parrot will be offering up those new add-ons it announced way back at CES. The "black box" Flight Recorder has been priced at $130, adding the ability to save flight data and GPS information from runs, which can be viewed in 3D through AR.Drone Academy maps. The device plugs into the quadcopter's USB port, bringing 4GB of storage that can also be used to save up to two hours of HD video. The Recorder also lets users perform simple piloting maneuvers via smartphone and tablet. The high density battery, meanwhile, has been priced at $70, bringing 18 minutes of flight time to the 'copter. Both are available now through Parrot's store.

On the software side, the $3.99 2.0 piloting app brings Director Mode to the flier, giving users more control over the video they shoot with their drone, including editing and picture settings like white balance and saturation. Parrot's offering the Rescue Mode update for free, meanwhile, with random shake and over balance settings to help rescue your drone from quadcopter-eating trees.

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The Daily Roundup for 06.05.2013

DNP The Daily RoundUp

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Parrot’s Henri Seydoux (update: video embedded)

What will we be doing with Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux? Playing with the company's AR.Drone, obviously. And who knows, maybe Brian and Richard Lai will ask the exec some questions, too.

January 10, 2013 12:00 PM EST

Check out our full CES 2013 stage schedule here!

Update: video embedded

Continue reading Live from the Engadget CES Stage: an interview with Parrot's Henri Seydoux (update: video embedded)

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Parrot’s AR.Drone 2.0 gifted with optional flight recorder module and bigger battery

Parrot's ARDrone 20 gifted with flight recorder module and bigger battery option

Marking the first anniversary of the AR.Drone 2.0 since last CES, Parrot has announced that it'll be offering an optional GPS flight recorder module as well as a bigger battery at some point this year. The former dongle simply plugs into the flying vehicle via the USB port, and it can record the flying parameters onto its 4GB memory, which can then be reproduced on the 3D AR.Drone Academy map. As for the larger battery, it'll come with 1,500mAh worth of juice which is 50 percent more than the original one (hence a flight time of up to 18 minutes now), though we'd imagine most hardcore enthusiasts have already modded third-party batteries for the power-hungry copter.

On the software side, the AR.Drone 2.0 will soon be upgraded with a "Director Mode" for programming movements (including traveling, pan, crane and more) for more creative filming. Additionally there will be an "AR.Race 2.0" solo or multiplayer racing game, as well as an "AR.Rescue 2.0" adventure game in augmented reality. Sounds fun, and we'll be able to see the drone in action during our live CES interview with CEO Henri Seydoux this Thursday, so stay tuned.

Continue reading Parrot's AR.Drone 2.0 gifted with optional flight recorder module and bigger battery

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MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab envisions a future of personal air transport (video)

MIT robot arm corrects for colorful blockrelated mishaps video

More fun out of MIT's AI lab. Grad student Peng Yu happily showed off a couple of flying demos on our visit, controlling an Ar.Drone with a number of methods, including keyboard, tablet (touch), voice and gesture, each naturally presenting their own positives and negatives, in terms of ease of use and specificity. The latter was certainly the most intriguing of the bunch, executed via a Kinect hack that allowed Yu to direct the flying robot over a small model town in the middle of the lab.

Voice, meanwhile, played an important role in a computer demo that keeps in line with a vision from Boeing of a future (some 20 or 30 years out, according to its estimates) in which citizens utilize personal aircrafts capable of carrying two to four people to, say, commute to work. Speaking into the system, the user essentially negotiates with the aircraft, giving a destination, hoped for flight duration and any pitstops to be made along the way. The system in the demo adjusted for storms and let Yu know how quickly it thought it would be able to make the run.

Demos of all of the above can be found after the break.

Continue reading MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab envisions a future of personal air transport (video)

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MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab envisions a future of personal air transport (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Nov 2012 15:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Engadget Interview: Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux

The Engadget Interview Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux

This man sure knows how to entertain photogs, but he's much more than just a charming French poser. Meet Henri Seydoux, the founder, chairman and CEO of today's multi-talented Parrot. While promoting the recently launched Zikmu Solo wireless speaker in Hong Kong, Seydoux sat down with us to share the amusing story behind himself and his company. Check out the video after the break to hear how Seydoux's encounter with Roland Moreno, the inventor of the smart card, made him drop journalism in favor of software engineering, as well as his detailed explanation on why many Bluetooth audio products suck, and how Bluetooth will continue to rule the world "like Beyoncé." Enjoy!

Continue reading The Engadget Interview: Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux

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The Engadget Interview: Parrot CEO Henri Seydoux originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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