Topic: CES

Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0

Summary: A cool toy becomes even cooler!

By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes for Hardware 2.0 | January 9, 2012 -- 05:23 GMT (21:23 PST)

I gotta be honest with you, CES (Consumer Electronics Show) doesn't jazz me that much. It's not because I don't like cool stuff (I do) but it's because a lot fo the cool stuff shown off there has a vaporware feel to it. I'm waiting for this stuff to appear on the shelves.

Except for this ...

This is cool. This is AR.Drone 2.0, a revamped version of the ultra-cool AR. Drone wireless personal UAV that you can control from your iOS device. I own an AR.Drone and let me tell you that it's a lot of fun, but the revamped AR.Drone 2.0 brings with it a whole raft of new and exciting features.

For starters, the new Drone features a 720p front-facing camera so that you can capture your flights in HD. There's also a whole raft of new sensors, including an on-board magnetometer so that it can always tell where the pilot is in relation to its flightpath, and a new air pressure sensor that allows it to be more stable when hovering.

AR.Drone 2.0 is currently expected to be released Q2 2012, with a retail price of $299.

I can't wait!

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7 comments

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RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0

So wait you're telling me 'Droid' does not have a 'Drone' app but Apple does?

Irony.

(Also what are the dimensions of this thing? Will it fit in a standard size backpack?)

dtdono0
9 January, 2012 08:00

Reply Vote
- RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
  
  @dtdono0
  Actually, my son controls his with his Android phone. Of course, you didn't know it (and there is no irony on this).
  
  Buitremx
  10 January, 2012 17:38
  
  Reply Vote
RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0

You meant CES 2012, I presume?

ggraysonlvlv
9 January, 2012 08:32

Reply Vote
- RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
  
  @ggraysonlvlv : It's so "last year"..... LOL
  
  Willnott
  9 January, 2012 12:32
  
  Reply Vote
- RE: Coolest CES 2011 announcement so far - AR.Drone 2.0
  
  @ggraysonlvlv
  No surprise. I doubt that any ZD bloggers ever proof what they write. Check this out from the first paragraph:
  
  "because a lot fo the cool stuff shown"
  
  Apparently, even using a spelling checker is too much trouble.
  
  nfordzdn
  10 January, 2012 08:36
  
  Reply Vote
Wow!

Plant a wireless transceiver and data capture app's in it and Google can use it for "Street View" (...and "other things"). ;)

thx-1138_
9 January, 2012 17:54

Reply Vote
A

Equip it with a remote paint sprayer to cover surveillance camera lenses. Recon for guard placement and personnel movements. Remote delivery of toxins, bioagents, or even ordinary riot control agents like tear gas or puke gas. Or even delivery of an explosive. Use one or more of these to deliver a handful of nuts and bolts into the engine intake of a jet on take off. I notice that it comes with a detachable rotor guard; and I wonder if the weight of the guard offsets the improved efficiency of turning them into ducted rotors? I guess it depends on the payload capacity of the machine, the wifi range on it, and what it takes to boost that range? Dollars to doughnuts somebody already knows.

Dr_Zinj
10 January, 2012 12:27

Reply Vote