Parrot unveils new Disco winged drone with 50mph top speed, iOS connectivity
Do-everything electronics maker Parrot on Tuesday unveiled its new Disco drone, eschewing the quadcopter design for a new winged style that adds advanced autopilot systems and a significantly higher top speed.
The Disco features a single, powerful propeller on the rear and a 1080p camera mounted to its nose. Launching the drone is as simple as turning it on and throwing it in the air -- Parrot says it will automatically begin to fly itself as soon as the user lets go.
Landing is equally hands-off, with ground sensors that...sense the ground to help the drone land itself.
The company also notes that piloting the Disco requires no prior experience thanks to a new assisted autopilot mode, which in effect translates the user's inputs into safe movements. A "loiter" mode will set the Disco in a continuous circular pattern around a specific point.
Like other Parrot devices, the Disco will connect to the company's official iOS app, allowing iPhone or iPad users to see a live stream of their recording over Wi-Fi. The Parrot Disco will also work with the company's SkyController, which includes an iPad mount and physical input buttons.
Parrot intends to launch the Disco later this year, though there is no indication as to exactly where "later" falls on the calendar. Pricing information is similarly unavailable.
The Disco features a single, powerful propeller on the rear and a 1080p camera mounted to its nose. Launching the drone is as simple as turning it on and throwing it in the air -- Parrot says it will automatically begin to fly itself as soon as the user lets go.
Landing is equally hands-off, with ground sensors that...sense the ground to help the drone land itself.
The company also notes that piloting the Disco requires no prior experience thanks to a new assisted autopilot mode, which in effect translates the user's inputs into safe movements. A "loiter" mode will set the Disco in a continuous circular pattern around a specific point.
Like other Parrot devices, the Disco will connect to the company's official iOS app, allowing iPhone or iPad users to see a live stream of their recording over Wi-Fi. The Parrot Disco will also work with the company's SkyController, which includes an iPad mount and physical input buttons.
Parrot intends to launch the Disco later this year, though there is no indication as to exactly where "later" falls on the calendar. Pricing information is similarly unavailable.
Comments
Looks like it would be another fun product to play with especially if they keep it in the price range of the Bebops.
After owning Parrot's Asteroid car receiver I will never buy anything they make again. It took 45 seconds to boot, it crashed constantly, there were apps for it that were advertised but didn't exist, and the biggest kick in the stomach was for months they assured users that they were fixing the bugs - but not the bugs people were complaining about - the easy ones to fix. I held out for months on promises the serious bugs would be fixed. Eventually they stopped answering complaints in their forums.
There was a card in the box that it shipped in that said something like, "Do not return to the store! Call ***-***-****". That should have been my warning right there. After 6 months, I went back to Fry's Electronics and told the customer service person this, "I have been shopping here for 20 years and this is the worst POS I have bought. You are going to take this back or I'm never shopping here again." They took it back.
If you ever receive a notice in the box that says to do not return it to the store, return it immediately. You should know that the company is based in England, so your return is going to be a nightmare otherwise.
That was in 2012. I went to Crutchfield to see what was new and not surprised to find the reviews with almost same problems with the current generation of products.
Also, with its large size and 50mph top-speed, it seems to me this one is particularly dangerous to both other aircraft and people on the ground, should it crash. Why would anyone need 50mph? That seems too fast for most video uses and even if it's not, one can speed video up post-production.
But in spite of all the hype about such drones and I see some lower-end ones sold in my (still-open) local Radio Shack, I have never seen anyone using one in real life outside of a trade show, not even in my very large local park, which still features a special fenced-in area for wire controlled airplanes and also has lots of hobbyists using RC controlled model cars. I haven't seen anyone using them in Central or Prospect Parks (in NYC) either (not that I'm there all the time).
I can see uses for shooting wedding parties, action shots, etc., although I suspect that once these things become really popular with photographers and videographers, the shots might start to look passé because everyone will do the same shots: swooping in on the bride and groom, etc. Would also be great for certain travel photography, but what happens when there's 50 of them (or more) flying over the same section of the Grand Canyon, Yosemite or the Great Wall of China - they'll wind up getting banned in all these places.