At CES 2016, Parrot unveiled Disco, its new aircraft drone, and we were quite amazed by the design of this lightweight and manta ray-inspired form factor. Today, Parrot officially launched the Disco, and we will get our hands on it.
The quadcopter drones have the ability to fly indoors, hover and fly backwards, which is impossible to do with the Disco. However, the new Parrot aircraft drone offers 45 minutes of flying on a single charge, which is way more its quadcopter competitors. By comparison, the Parrot Bebop 2 can only fly for 25 minutes.
Another significant feature is its speed, according to Parrot, the Disco can fly at 50 mph.
The mini aircraft takes off and lands automatically, which allows beginners to enjoy the experience from day one. By default, the flying machine is equipped with a powerful autopilot feature, the Parrot C.H.U.C.K (Control Hub & Universal Computer Kit ), and advanced users will be able to go fully manual by connecting an optional RC transmitter.
The Disco compact and light body is made from EPP (expanded Polypropylene) and reinforced with carbon tubes. According to Parrot, the 22-in by 45-inch fixed-wing features an exclusive aerodynamic airfoil which reduces trails and enhances lift. Despite the lightweight (1.6 lbs), the drone resists winds of 24 mph.
The 14 megapixel full HD 1080 p camera placed in the nose, is the same as the one in the Bebop 2, with a 180 degree wide-angle. The recorded videos are stored in an embedded 32 GB internal memory.
You can fly the drone using the new first person (FPV) view headset, Parrot Cockpitglasses, or with the new compact remote control, Parrot Skycontroller 2.
To pilot the Disco with the Parrot Cockpitglasses, which looks like a VR headset, the user simply inserts a smartphone in the front, to experience an immersive the video of the flight in real time with a display of additional data.
The Skycontroller 2 is compact and lightweight (1.6 lbs) and provides a 1.2-mile theoretical reach. When used with the Cockpitglasses, the “direct view” feature allows to seeing Disco through the camera of the smartphone.
It can also connect to a Smartphone (iOS and Android) via the FreeFlight Pro app, to access the settings of the drone: geofencing, limitation of the altitude/distance, recording video on the 32GB memory of the flying wing and more…
To become an aircraft drone pilot with the Parrot Disco, you will have to pay $1,299.