Combining augmented reality (AR) with in-flight footage from a drone was already impressive. However, for French drone maker Parrot, it wasn't impressive enough. Now the company has created a drone that adds virtual reality (VR) to the mix that will be available Q4 of this year.
The Parrot Bebop will improve upon all previous Parrot drone efforts. Arguably, its biggest new addition, however, will be the fact it will come with Oculus Rift VR support included.
Oculus Rift is the name of a company that was recently acquired through a mutibillion-dollar deal by Facebook. It also specializes in virtual reality glasses, called Rift, that hope to revolutionize the video game industry one day.
The upcoming Parrot Bebop will use the Rift technology to allow viewers to experience the world as seen through the drone as if they were really flying alongside the drone. It is done by putting on the glasses and viewing the images from the Drone's camera separately, as the drone flies overhead. The landscape can truly become immersive as you can imagine this way. Besides putting on a set of Oculus Rift glasses on, the user can choose a monitor, TV, mobile device as a way to view what the camera sees.
This will be done thanks to Parrot's SkyController technology that will be used to connect the VR googles to the drone's camera system as it flies overhead and captures the landscape. It will offer an 180-degree FOV (field of view) and include a 14-megapixel and full-HD camera "fish-eyes lens."
However, to pilot the Bebop with the Skycontroller, the technology will rely on Wi-Fi connectivity with a limited range.
"Equipped with an amplified Wi-Fi radio and with 4 antennas, the Parrot Skycontroller extend the Wi-FI range up to 2 kms.," Parrot says. "The piloting smartphone or tablet is fixed on a shelf that is compatible with the vast majority of the tablets available in the market. The pilot takes the helm of the drone via 2 joysticks."
The design is certainly interesting and parrot is starting to include many technologies into the Bebop. It is certainly a great step in the right direction as drones continue gain market share and popularity. However, our privacy may suffer as a result of all these drones flying around. Lets hope the NSA or local police won't come up on the idea of using them to control or watch the public.
Some other new additions and benefits of the upcoming Bebop from previous-generation drones will be better maneuverability and better design. The camera is of much better quality this time around with full-HD (1080p) recording (unlike previous 720p) available that will allow users to pan and zoom in and out of view with it. Also of note is the fact it will come with a GNSS chipset that will allow users to use GPS, Glosnass and Galileo features.
Look for The Parrot Bebop to hit the market sometime at the end of the year.
