The French manufacturer that made history with its AR.Drone makes a comeback. Bepop Drone comes with many improvements, the most notable being a joystick used for flying it, aptly named Skycontroller.
Bepop Drone, or if you prefer, AR.Drone 3.0, features a better camera than its predecessor, and it is able to cover greater distances. The major selling point, howerer, is represented by the optional joystic-resembling controller.
Parrot used for this drone a 14 MP camera capable of recording video in Full HD. The field of view is of 180-degrees, so there’s not much more to ask from the manufacturer in this regard. Parrot used rubber shock absorbers to make sure that the camera’s functionality is not affected by physical socks.
The 3-axis digital stabilization system employed by Parrot acts as some sort of image stabilization, as it maintains the camera in the pointed direction, despite air currents.
Images and video footage are stored on Bepop Drone’s internal storage. Frankly, 8GB is not much, especially if you are filming in 1080p, so a microSD card would definitely be appreciated.
The GPS module of Bepop enables the drone to cover a pre-programmed path, so it should prove useful for James Bond wannabes. Besides, the drone has a Return Home feature that enables it to come back to the place where it took of from.
Users still have the option to control the Bepop Drone using any iOS or Android smartphone or tablet. Bepop Drone is able to stream over Wi-Fi whatever images or video it shoots using its camera.
The ones wanting to control their drone properly can opt for the Skycontroller. This shaded accessory can host most mobile devices. Its joysticks and buttons allow users to be more accurate in their moves, while still allowing them to watch the streamed video on the device’s display. The amplified Wi-Fi radio and four antennas enable Bepop Drone to fly away for at most 2 kilometers.
The Skycontroller also includes an HDMI port that people can use to connect VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift. That will definitely leave the impression of flying.
According to Parrot, the Bepop Drone and the Skycontroller will be available at the end of the year, just in time for Christmas. However, there has been no word on how much these two products will cost, so we’ll have to wait and see.
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