Drone 2.0: the second version of the popular quadrocopters\Parrot has been known to put out good models of UAVs, but does the second AR Drone live up to this reputation? Find out here on our . , your go-to source for the best drone reviews, will take a comprehensive look at the design, performance, and overall value for money of this quadcopter. Unlike most available drones, this Parrot drone ships with nothing but the machine itself, the battery, and its charger. It has no controller, as its controls are dependent on either a tablet or a smartphone. This setup works for both the benefit and the disadvantage of the UAV (more on this later on our quadricopter review). Nevertheless, it comes out of the box ready to fly, provided you already have its app on your device. Average is a good word for the battery of the AR Drone 2.0, as it’s neither bad nor impressive. Depending on the package deal you choose, your UAV would come with a 1000 mAh or 1500 mAh battery. Regardless of your choice, the flight time would be more or less 12 minutes – depending on the conditions you are flying in.

It does drain easily whenever you pull off some flying tricks, though. For instance, if you want to do a barrel roll, a simple tap is all it takes to do the move. But be prepared, as that move alone would eat 30% or so of your quadcopter’s battery. What does the AR Drone 2.0 offer? Before we start with our full-on Parrot drone review, let’s take the time to check out its core specs: Now, let’s discuss the design of this Parrot drone. Obviously, it still mirrors the appearance of the first AR Drone, albeit with a few improvements. Our team has no complaints with the design – in fact, we even admire one of the add-ons for this machine: the outdoor hull. This hull is a thick brace for the dimensions of the drone that protects the propellers. It weighs down the quadcopter a little bit, but that’s not much of a sacrifice considering the cash it saves you on repairs. The padding and foam for the body are an excellent safety measure, especially for beginners prone to crashes and bumps.

The AR Drone’s camera is, at best, decent. Its integrated HD cam is good enough to shoot clear photos. In terms of video output, the lens could capture standard 720p clips at 30 fps. It’s nothing cutting-edge, but it gets the job done. At the very least, the camera is better than what mini drones have. Given the price of this quadcopter, this is a great offer. Of course, some issues with quality are still present. parrot ar drone bearingsThe color isn’t exactly the best, plus the sharpness and clarity could both use some improvement. ar drone 1 ladegerätBut given its , what this quadcopter has isn’t bad at all.parrot mini drone cena The only time you can control this UAV with a physical controller is when you have NVidia Shield. parrot ar drone flying ace

If you don’t have this nifty gaming device, you’ll have to master the controls of the app available for both Android and iOS users. This is where things become a little problematic. To be fair, the navigation isn’t all bad. There are a few good points worthy of mentioning with the AR Drone 2.0. For one, it is easy to learn the basics of the app – how you maneuver the machine, perform a landing, and more. ar drone parrot portéeIt also has fun camera modes and navigation shortcuts, all of which are useful for every pilot. parrot ar drone 2 precioThe machine could even fly indoors just fine. Unfortunately, the laggy and glitch-prone performance of the app outweighs these benefits. The lag causes some delays with the controls you input, thus risking a crash – or worse, a flyaway – if you have no idea what you are doing.

The UAV tries hard to be precise with each move, but it remains inconsistent in doing so. In the end, this isn’t just about the lack of a physical controller to guide the drone – there really are a few glaring performance issues with this quadcopter. The Parrot AR Drone 2.0 is far from the best; drone reviews from other websites even say it’s quite a problematic machine. Factoring in our own Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Review, we can say that – to some extent – we agree with the consensus. While this presents the fresh idea of smartphone-only controls, there are still a lot of issues for the manufacturer to iron out. Until these issues get resolved, you might want to look for another drone with camera to play with. Pros Easy to fly Great camera functions Well-designed outdoor hull Automatic stabilization for indoor and outdoor flying Decent autopilot feature Cons Average battery life Dependent on smartphones/tablets Glitchy flight app Expensive Limited rangeThe KittyHawk drone is designed to be a big, stable, and safe flying platform(Credit: Mobile Recon Systems)It seems like not a day goes by without another announcement

of a new quadcopter drone. Needless to say, that makes it very hard to stand out in this crowded field ... unless your product features something truly unique. With that in mind, Mobile Recon Systems has announced a Kickstarter campaign starting July 10, for a new super-sized quadrotor drone withThe KittyHawk is 37.5 inches (95 cm) across and weighs 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) with a payload capacity of another 9.5 lb (4.3 kg) for an all-up flying weight of nearly 20 lb (9 kg). It can carry three cameras, two of which are on gimbals – one on the bottom, another gimbal on the top – and a third camera fixed looking straight ahead. Mike Dowell, the CEO of Mobile Recon Systems, about this new flying machine. Dowell describes himself as a serial inventor, with a number of patents to his name (three granted so far, five applied for, according to the patent office). took a systematic look at current quadcopter design from the perspective of safety and usability, and came up with the KittyHawk design as a response.

The first and most striking feature of the KittyHawk is the full-sized prop guards, making it look like a scaled-up Parrot ARThe prop guards have included hand-grips for moving the drone, and offer protection from the high-powered spinning carbonThe wide stance also makes tipping the quadrotor over and damaging the props very difficult. Mike says that not having propeller guards on a large drone was "stupid" and dangerous. Another interesting feature is a large LED spotlight attached to the front of the quad, assisting the pilot with orientation and providing some illumination for the cameras. The spotlight can be turned on andSpeaking of cameras, we asked Mr. Dowell why there were three – and why a camera on the top of the drone? He could see several applications of the top camera – doing real-estate photography, performing bridge inspections, looking at power lines, or inspecting wind turbines. He could also see the top

camera being used to inspect amusement park rides from all angles. cameras combined can provide 360-degree panoramic images by spinning theThe cameras can be operated by a separate radio control unit, allowing the piloting and photography functions to be split. There is one radio video downlink for live video, but a three-way switch allows the operator to select which camera is beingThe top and bottom cameras can record video onboard for later The onboard brains of the KittyHawk quadcopter is the open-sourceThis package enables a number of flying modes and includes GPS guidance for autonomous flight. The big drone can circle a photography subject, or fly a "follow me" route that keeps the controller inThe Pixhawk is located on the top canopy of the KittyHawk, where a clear window lets the user see all of the LED status indicators on the controller. Mobile Recon Systems is also working on incorporating a small LIDAR (laser radar) sensor into the KittyHawk to enable obstacle detection

This should be available in "about 11 to Mobile Recon Systems is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and has six full-time employees. It has been in business about two and a half"We want to give DJI some American competition," Mike said. The KittyHawk will be built in the US. There are three models of the drone being offered. model, called the Classic, comes with just the one forward-facing camera andPrice for the Classic model is US$2,259. The Luxury model has a multi-axis belly gimbal for a GoPro or similar camera system, and is priced atThe Supreme version has larger propellers, a double-sized battery, and a much larger gimbal sized for a DSLR on the bottom, the smaller GoPro-sized gimbal on the top, and the FPV (first personThe Supreme KittyHawk is priced at $4,579. Mobile Recon Systems is now working on a number of upgrades to the KittyHawk series of drones. It has already announced a retractable for later is an emergency 6-foot (2-m) parachute that would pop out of