Parrot UAV

[Agent47]

Could be useful for airsoft...

 

Our UAV is online!

 

Proof

 

 

USAToday article

 

CES: Control this toy helicopter with your iPhone

iPhone games could be headed toward another dimension. A new augmented reality toy helicopter, the AR.Drone by Paris-based technology firm Parrot, is controlled via Wi-Fi with an iPhone or iPod Touch.

 

Moving the iPhone or iPod Touch, which have built-in accelerometers, directs the toy helicopter forward and backward and turning and other directions. Buttons on the iPhone make it go up or down.

 

The chopper has four propellers and two on-board video cameras. One camera assists in flight, the other broadcasts video back to the device. That's where game developers could use the toy's capabilities to create augmented reality games to play in the real world, says Parrot founder Henri Seydoux.

 

"For the first time, you can play together with a friend like a flying ace," he says. "You pilot your copter and could shoot him in the game, and the video camera makes that connection."

 

Adding the AR.Drone to a game could get gamers off the couch, he says. "You are not playing in front of a display, you are playing in your backyard in reality, you are piloting in reality. You will see that is much more interesting because you have to factor in the wind and places you can hide for real," Seydoux says.

 

Parrot is demonstrating the AR.Drone at the Consumer Electronics Show and talking to game developers who might want to use the technology. "This will bring imagination to the game space," Seydoux says. "It is a new kind of gaming platform."

 

By Mike Snider

[L4byr1nth]

Well it's not the first time games translated to the 'real world'.

 

I'm thinking of that PSP GPS unit, where the developers reckoned they could design loads of cool games that would get groups of people running around with their PSP's... Never happened, as far as I remember.

 

Ben.

 

EDIT:: Also, did anyone else read the topic title and think of a sort of harness you could strap to a bird...?

[Noart]

If it works out as good as the make me believe (yeah, right?), i'll buy one.

 

And i don't even have an iPhone. ^^

[frogfish]

I've been building a paparazzi based UAV for a bit now, and I don't think this is quite capable of the surveillance you would want, I'm thinking range isn't going to be that far, and flight time would be maybe 3-5 minutes tops, if that. Although it does look interesting.

[Pendra]

That thing looks funny, but I doubt you can get any usable range using WiFi. The max range of a regular router is about 100m outdoor . I don't know the power rating of the Iphone WiFi but I guess it is less than a regular router. Lets say you can get 50m distance outdoor and that means you are in firing range. Also what would stop other people to actually shoot it down or catch it in flight and keep it as "hostage" until the end of the game?

 

Nevertheless, it is a very nice concept. I may even be tempted to get one but I suspect this is not exactly a cheap toy plus I would need to figure out some proper use other than spying on my neighbours .

[Cpt.Lowe]

Could be useful for airsoft...

 

because a couple of bb's couldn't destroy that polystyrene.

[ollie_ty]

That is quite frankly, Delicious.

 

I was going to say In before massive debate about shooting down UAVs AGAIN but it looks like Lowe started proceedings off nicely!

 

[maverick343432]

Or one well aimed Moscart.

TBH tho Airsoft's played at such small range I can't see it being that useful.

[RC-1138]

I'd rate this alongside that so called "motion sensor" nice idea, not practical for actual use.

[Dsquall]

I'd rate this alongside that so called "motion sensor" nice idea, not practical for actual use.

 

The motion sensor had more practicality than this thing imo. Plus, what happens when your in a firefight and take a shot to your phone while trying to put it away? $100 down the tube.

[WhiteHawksan]

to be fair if anyone actually shot down one you'd have to be hell of a deep pocketed to replace it Sadly I think the killer is gonna be range and flight time, a UAV is no use in arisoft if it only flies for 4 minutes with a range of 50m from the operator. Good little toy tho.

[RC-1138]

The motion sensor had more practicality than this thing imo. Plus, what happens when your in a firefight and take a shot to your phone while trying to put it away? $100 down the tube.

 

Not really since it suffers from the same problem you just said for the phone and it wasn't even a motion tracker, just a dooded up GPS device.

[Pendra]

Yeah that thing is NOT a motion detector. It is an ATTACHED DEVICE locator. I could run around it without an attached detector device and it would not pick me up. Also it would detect me, even if I was standing still, if I had an attached and powered detector device.

 

4 minutes flight time seems very low for 90 minutes of charging. Any RC specialist around who could translate these figures into estimated flight time: 4x15W motor, 400g weight and 11.1V 1000mAh LiPo battery? I estimate that the on-board computer and electronics are using about 200-300 mA/Hour. At least my similar config phone with WiFi on, camera on and during heavy CPU usage drains about that much.

 

Edit: If this calculation is correct (I have no idea I just googled it up) then 4*15W*1hour/11.1V=5450 mAh so

4*15W*0.13 hour(8 minutes)/11.1V = 702 mAh. This estimation shows that it would fly for 8 minutes maximum with a single 90 minutes charge. Hm that means I could spy about 3 minutes in every 2 hours.

 

Actually they could just make the WiFi as a fallback option and use a cellphone data call to control the chopper. That would yield indefinite range. Plus a local 8 minutes call would not throw the phone bill overboard.

[my_plague_666]

all this talk about the UAV getting wrecked seems a bit redundant when you think you'll be airsofting with your pricy iphone in your hand. i'd be more worried about damage to that.

[Erik_MAA]

all this talk about the UAV getting wrecked seems a bit redundant when you think you'll be airsofting with your pricy iphone in your hand. i'd be more worried about damage to that.

 

And I can't say I'd have any sympathy for them. Anything you bring onto the field has a chance of getting shot up, either accidentally or deliberately.

 

As an experienced ref/controller, I'd be happy to let someone use it on the field - but only if they were understanding it was a legitimate target.

 

If you wanted this type of intel, a fixed camera adjcaent to the field (say, in a staging area) mounted on a 40' telescoping pole with pan/tilt/zoom capability would probably do you more good.

[Kousnik]

omg i *fruitcage* love cod4 moar uavs plz

[uscmCorps]

It says 15 minute run time:

http://ardrone.parrot.com/parrot-ar-drone/...s-it-work#start

 

I like the fact that once it's out of Wifi range the unit takes over and does a controlled soft landing.

 

I actually see many possible scenarios on how this could be used. Out here in the US, we often have events taking place at military MOUTs, CQB sites, and industrial complexes. It'd be potentially pretty cool to be on a roof top and deploy the drone to see how badly you're being swarmed or what the situation is in the next building or down the hall. Beyond being part of a game mechanic, a lot of the major events out here are often filmed and it could be used by cinematographers and event organizers to capture footage to splice into the regular footage to show simulated UAV footage and show the event from a whole other angle. This is actually really exciting.

[frogfish]

Did you see the video quality, the trailer is not real quality, no way, if it is this thing runs way over $1K USD. Now way this thing could be used for filming.

 

This is a toy, you could use it to look in a room or down the hall, but with the way most airsofters are, it's going to get trashed the first time.

 

I'm almost tempted to use my UAV at altitude in a game, but then again I know some people would take pot shots at it and with a $600 telemetry and autonomous control system I don't want to risk it.

[RC-1138]

I actually see many possible scenarios on how this could be used. Out here in the US, we often have events taking place at military MOUTs, CQB sites, and industrial complexes.

 

I would agree except for one thing, airsoft matches tend to be very fast paced, with positions changing every few minutes (was my experience at even larger games like Ai500's and Irene's) and this just isn't practical as the amount of time it will take to decide to even use it, unload it from a pack, set up, prepare to fly, recon a position, fly it back, pack it up, pass on the info, and make a plan... yada yada yada. Just not practical.

[Deepeyes]

Interesting but I myself would never get one. If I was to have one I would just use it to fly straight up to get a higher perspective of what is ahead. 100m straight up > 100m Forward. My biggest issue is bringing my Iphone on the field =S.

 

Like any "special" Weapon/Device you need to set clear rules before they are used (If it can be shot at). But you have to accept personal risk.

[frogfish]

I do wonder though if this thing will be available stateside commercially, UAVs are severely regulated by ITAR, we can't go more than 300ft in altitude and we can't really fly over any land we don't have permission to fly over.

 

But to me this isn't really a UAV this is an RC quadcopter with a fail safe land feature (I wish my RC aircraft had that), not any autonomous flight abilities that would really make it a UAV. I would classify it as an FPV RC aircraft which are not regulated at all, although you can get in trouble if you spy on someone or record images/video illegally.

[Azubi]

If used it should be a legitimate target.

 

as much as I respect other people's property, in a game like this it would be unfair for a team to have an advantage that couldn't be removed from the game. It could be argued that taking out their controller would be enough but I honestly wouldn't bring anything I couldn't handle seeing broken into a game. Of course, this all assumes it would actually be useful.

 

Comments like "you can't shoot it, it's expensive" are just silly when you are gonna be flying it over the heads of the people you are using it to spy on. I'd expect to see it in pieces within seconds if I used one which is why I never would. I go into a game expecting everything I am using to get broken.

[teflon don]

If used it should be a legitimate target.

 

as much as I respect other people's property, in a game like this it would be unfair for a team to have an advantage that couldn't be removed from the game. It could be argued that taking out their controller would be enough but I honestly wouldn't bring anything I couldn't handle seeing broken into a game. Of course, this all assumes it would actually be useful.

 

i would have to disagree with that

like any special weapons it has both positive and negative features

you have to carry a bit helicopter al day just so you can use it 15 minutes max

during the time that your are flying you are an easy target

and i don't consider having a birds eye view of the battle field as such a big advantage

 

also there are other way to render a uav useless (smoke screens)

 

and from a milsim point of view a real uav would be out of range anyway

[Azubi]

like any special weapons it has both positive and negative features

 

The fact it can be shot down is a disadvantage. Dont allow people to blatt it out of the sky and you remove a disadvantage.

 

you have to carry a bit helicopter al day just so you can use it 15 minutes max

 

I agree with that.

 

during the time that your are flying you are an easy target

 

This is where teamwork comes in.

 

and i don't consider having a birds eye view of the battle field as such a big advantage

 

I do. The constant flow can be monitored so you know where to direct reinforcements, also allows you to see possible weaknesses in the enemy line. This is assuming you have a decent setup though. I don't expect much from this thing.

 

also there are other way to render a uav useless (smoke screens)

 

Shooting it down is cheaper (for the opposition).

 

and from a milsim point of view a real uav would be out of range anyway

 

It would but then we play with toys that are quite far from the real thing in how they act. A leaf will deflect your bbs and a sparrow's fart will send them wildly off course. Ranges are drastically reduced and accuracy is pathetic.

[ollie_ty]

and i don't consider having a birds eye view of the battle field as such a big advantage

I'm sorry, but that makes no sense. You don't see a deeper situational awareness an advantage?