CES: Parrot introduces the ultimate iPhone flying machine

This just looks like fun - a flying machine that’s completely controlled by your iPhone or iPod and comes to you from those wireless specialists at Parrot (makers of excellent Bluetooth devices).

It’s more than just a simple toy, this one, in truth it is an augmented reality gaming experience, so take a look at the Parrot AR.Drone, a quadricopter piloted with an iPhone or iPod touch, which allows users to fly in a real-world environment while simultaneously playing a video game from the device's screen.

The Parrot AR.Drone received a 2010 CES Innovations award for Electronic Gaming Hardware and will be demonstrated live throughout the week at the 2010 Consumers Electronics Show.

"At Parrot, we have been developing wireless concepts for video games for 4 years. Our first project was a Bluetooth race car. We've developed it, but I was not satisfied. A video game should contain a part of a dream that I missed with the Bluetooth car," explains Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot. "It should fly! So I started the idea of the AR.Drone. With video cameras and a powerful computer, we have developed a very stable drone that is easy to control and flies like a dragonfly."

The craft consists of a central cockpit surrounded by four propellers, each driven by an engine. The heart of the machine contains all the electronic components and two cameras: The first camera, located underneath, connects to an Inertial Measurement Unit, which allows the AR.Drone to measure its speed and perform flawless stationary flight. Parrot Smart Piloting (PSP) technology compensates for wind and other environmental conditions during outside flights.

The second camera, at the front, broadcasts and streams exactly what the craft sees to the iPhone  or iPod touch screen, it’s as if you were sitting in the cockpit. The Parrot AR.Drone generates its own WiFi network that simply connects to an iPhone or iPod touch for controls.

An unseen mix of captors (wide angle camera and high speed camera, MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanicals Systems), 3 axes accelerometer, 3 axes gyro, ultrasound sensor) associated with a powerful computer make the piloting easy and accessible even for the youngest or non-technologically savvy.

Better still. the AR.Drone is sensitive to the accelerometer of the iPhone or iPod touch that detects user's movements - pilot by leaning the iPhone forward to move forward or sidewise to corner or change direction. Command buttons also indicate actions such as rise, down, rotate, move back, move forward.

For use indoors the product ships with a hull which surrounds the propellers and protects the AR.Drone if it hits an obstacle. The Parrot AR.Drone is built on an open platform, accessible to game developers.