Parrot AR.Drone

Parrot AR.Drone Brian Klutch

Gallery: Parrot AR.Drone

The next generation of remote-control aircraft has arrived. Instead of using a traditional controller, you pilot the Parrot AR.Drone using an iPhone or iPad app over a Wi-Fi network. The “quadricopter” is held aloft by four motor-driven propellers and stabilized by an accelerometer, gyrometers and an ultrasound altimeter. It comes equipped with two video cameras, one on the bottom (which also aids stabilization) and one set to a wide angle at the front, so whatever it sees, you see on the phone or tablet screen. That also lets it double as a flying videogame machine, with a host of augmented-reality (AR) games coming soon.