Parrot has unveiled its most advanced drone yet.
The Bebop is tricked out with an HD video camera, built-in GPS, an array of image-stabilizing sensors and Oculus Rift compatibility.
The Bebop's camera uses a 14-megapixel fisheye camera that records in full HD. The recorded video can be viewed in real-time on a smartphone or tablet, which is used to control the drone with an iOS or Android app.
The drone can also be used with an optional Skycontroller, which includes four additional antennas that extend the Wi-Fi range of the drone to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). Pilots won't be able to take too many long trips though — the Bebop's battery life maxes out after 12 minutes of flight time.
Parrot focused much of its efforts on video quality and stability. The drone uses built-in GPS so the drone will hover in place when the pilot takes their hands off the controllers. The Bebop is equipped with an array of sensors, including an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer, to ensure the stability of the video.
The Skycontroller can also be connected to a TV, monitor or other display to view the drone's video. More adventurous pilots can use the Skycontroller in conjunction with an Oculus Rift headset. The Oculus plugs into the controller via an HDMI connection and pilots can use the headset to control the position of the Bebop's camera.
We got a chance to take the Bebop for a spin with the Oculus and the experience was pretty incredible. Flying the drone with the Oculus headset provided a unique first-person view of the piloting experience. The effort Parrot put into image stabilization really comes through, though there was some lag in the unit we tried out.
Both the drone and Skycontroller will be available sometime in the fourth quarter of 2014. Parrot has not yet revealed a price for either device, but CEO Henri Seydoux said that the price for the total package will be higher than the company's original A.R.Drone, which sold for $300.
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