Techie
3:08 AM | Monday | 15 March 2010

The surprise star of the International CES 2010, the Parrot Ar.Drone is a completely independent flight machine, remote-controlled over Wi-Fi through software running on an iPhone or an iPod touch.

With a quadcopter (four-rotor) configuration, the Ar.Drone can zip around outdoors or in your living room; it's reminiscent of those VTOL craft in Avatar. And as a helicopter-variant, the Ar.Drone doesn't need a runway to take off, and it can hover. A vertically oriented camera facing downward helps the tiny craft keep a bearing on its location automatically.

The control scheme takes full advantage of the iPhone OS platform. Thanks to a second, forward-mounted camera, the user can control the Ar.Drone out-of-sight – seeing what the bird sees via video feed – and keep track of the drone's location "meters away." Nowhere near the range of a full-blown UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] like the US Army's Predator, but still cool nonetheless.

The Ar.Drone will reportedly come with two reality-augmented games, both apparently designed to let users have fun with the video feed by slapping on fighter HUD graphics and the like. For indoor use or operation within tight spaces, the user can place a foam protector on the quadcopter, protecting the four blades from accidental (or intentional?) collisions.

Besides debuting the product, Ar.Drone maker Parrot is also pushing an accompanying "open" API [application programming interface] for developers. APIs usually allow third parties to add to a product's existing functionality, much like how the iPhone OS API lets others create apps for the iPhone and iPod touch.

As a newly announced product, there's no word yet on the Parrot Ar.Drone's pricing or availability – especially when you're talking about the Philippine market. This toy is cool enough that I'm actually considering getting an iPod touch. There's nothing wrong with being ready for if and when this product hits local shores.

In any case, based on the attention the Ar.Drone received since its debut at CES 2010 (Parrot's website crashed from too many visitors), it's possible we'll see this UAV hit retail soon enough!