At CES 2016, Parrot showed off a new, ultra-light, wing-shaped drone the company calls the Disco. The drone’s standout feature is its impressive ability to reach a speed of 80 km/h without losing camera stability.
Beyond the above impressive bullet point, what separates the Disco from other consumer drones is the fact that Parrot claims its multiple sensors – an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, barometer and GPS – ensure flying the arial vehicle is exceedingly easy, even for those inexperienced with remote control vehicles.
According to Parrot, the drone is able to gain altitude autonomously and automatically turns in the sky when first taking off until the user takes direct control of it. To make the flying process even easier during flight, a new autopilot feature prevents the drone from accidentally crashing.
Unlike past Parrot drone iterations, the Parrot Disco is only compatible with the company’s Skycontroller or a standard RC remote control. Past Parrot drones primarily use the company’s sometimes unresponsive mobile app to control the drones. While expensive, this will hopefully solve the connectivity issues past Parrot drones like the Bebop and Rolling Spider suffered from.
The Parrot Disco comes equipped with a 1080p front camera and also has the ability to connect via the company’s FPV glasses, giving the individual controlling the drone a first-person perspective of its flight path. According to Parrot, the Disco’s flight time clocks in at 45 minutes, significantly above the Parrot Bebop Drone 2’s 25 minutes, and the original Bebop’s 11 minutes of flight life. The Parrot Disco is slated for a release date later in the year, with a price point that has not been revealed yet.
Along with the reveal of the Disco drone, Parrot also showed off the Parrot Pot, a Wi-Fi-enabled gardener robot that measures soil moisture, fertilizer level, soil temperature, ambient temperature and light intensity. The most interesting feature included in the Parrot Pot is its 2.2L water reserve that gives users access to what amounts to a mini irrigation system. The device has the ability to automatically manage the watering of a plant and can even regulate the consumption of water for up to one month, a feature that’s perfect for extended vacations. The Parrot Pot seems like a great way to prevent yourself from accidentally killing your house plant.
The device links to Parrot’s Flower Power 2.0 mobile smartphone application. The Parrot Pot is set to be release at some point in 2016. Pricing also hasn’t been revealed.
[source]Parrot[/source]
