Parrot AR.Drone – When video games become reality

We first mentioned Parrot’s AR.Drone in our review of CES 2010 back in January, but since it’s appearance at the Las Vegas show there’s been a growing buzz around the iPhone controlled quadricopter as geeks of all shapes and sizes have begun to get excited about its release later this year.

Parrot are the world-leaders in wireless products for mobile phones and for those of you that haven’t heard of the AR.Drone yet, it is quite simply a remote controlled helicopter that’s designed for use with the iPhone and iPod Touch. The quadricopter promises to be stable whether flown inside or out and the two video cameras give users a never-before-seen experience as they can zip the drone about all over the place as if you were sitting in the pilot’s seat. It’s a stunning design that incorporates the best of today’s technologies but as Henri Seydoux, the founder and CEO of Parrot explains, it’s also an idea that captures the imagination:

“At Parrot, we have been developing wireless concepts for video games for 4 years. Our first project was a Bluetooth race car. We developed it, but I was not satisfied. A video game should contain part of a dream that I missed with the Bluetooth car. It should fly! So I started with the idea of a quadricopter. With video cameras and a powerful computer, we have developed a very stable drone that is easy to control and flies like a dragon-fly.”

The AR.Drone is undoubtedly a quirky concept, but what really excites me is the idea of it as a new arena in video gaming, one that continues to blur the lines between what’s real and what’s virtual. The user will have to adapt to the real world around them, adjusting for wind and obstacles; and outside of the joy of simply flying the thing the AR.Drone also comes with inbuilt augmented reality. Thanks to this augmented reality, it’s possible to recreate a range of scenarios such as an aerial fight between two quadricopters and Parrot is also opening up the Drone as a platform for software developers which in theory will lead to the development of a range of  games, challenges and utilities in the same way that the App store has for the iPhone.

In a world where superlatives are often overused it’s no stretch to say the AR.Drone truly is a ground breaking bit of kit, and so it’s easy to see why so many people are getting excited about it.