The military drones making the headlines conducting airstrikes in the skies of Syria and Afghanistan are usually of the fixed wing variety. On the other hand consumer drones used for filmmaking are usually quadcopters or octocopters. That might be about to change.
Parrot is best known for their low cost consumer drones, but as CES earlier this year they unveiled the DISCO. Unlike other most consumer camera drones on the market, the DISCO has fixed wings and is designed to fly like a plane. Parrot are touting the DISCO as a completely immersive flying experience. By using the included COCKPITGLASSES users will be able to experience a first person view for the ultimate immersive flying sensation.
The COCKPITGLASSES look like most other VR viewing systems and work with most smartphones. Wearing them allows the user to see exactly what the DISCO is seeing as well as certain real-time flight metrics via a text overlay display.
Instead of the traditional 4 rotors, the DISCO has a single rear propeller, and under its lightweight skin their is a large number of on-board sensors, including GPS/GLONASS, magnetometer, a barometer, magnetometer, accelerometer and gyroscope.
By ditching the standard rotor configuration and using a fixed wing design, the DISCO has a claimed top speed of up to 50 miles an hour (81km/ph) and can fly for up to 45 minutes. The DISCO is made out of EPP foam and carbon tube, giving it a low weight of just 750g (26oz).
One of the major downside to a fixed wing design is that it can’t hover like a traditional drone. You also have to physically throw it into the air to start it flying. This means you need to be in a fairly wide open space to initially launch it. Despite these limitations, the fixed wing design could allow for some very creative shots if used at speed.
The DISCO has a built-in 1080p Full HD front camera that is stabilised on 3 axes and has a 90 degree field of view. The camera uses a 14-megapixel wide-angle lens with digital stabilisation for capturing full HD 1080p images and streaming at 720p. Parrot claim that you can film long scenes thanks to 32GB of internal memory. There doesn’t seem to be any information on their website as to what format or bitrate the recordings are captured in.
Users pilot the DISCO from the new Parrot Skycontroller 2, which uses a optimised and secure Wi-Fi connection, with live video feedback to your smartphone via the FreeFlight Pro app. With the Parrot SKYCONTROLLER 2, users can pilot the DISCO up to 2 km away. Take off and landing can be done with a single with a single click. There is also a smart autopilot system that will fly the DISCO back to the starting point on autopilot.
For safety purposes the DISCO has a anti-stall system. There is also a system called C.H.U.C.K (Control Hub & Universal Computer Kit). This is designed to assist first time pilots, and help the drone take flight when it is initially launched. C.H.U.C.K will take over the system controls and keep the DISCO circling around in the sky until it’s time for the pilot to take charge.
While I have doubts about what the footage will actually look like, it is a very interesting concept and it will be interesting to see if other fixed wing consumer drones emerge.
The DISCO will start shipping next month for $1300 US.
Parrot Disco
Size
• Size : 1150 mm x 580mm x 120 mm
• Wingspan : 1150 mm (45 in)
Weight
• 750gr | 26oz
• EPP foam and carbon tube
Performance
• Motor 1280kv
• Servomoteur 5V
• RF Receiver ready SBUS, SUMD, CPPM
GPS
• Built-in GPS : GPS + GLONASS
Video & Image
• 1080p Full HD camera
• Streaming video : 360p / 720p
Software
• Linux & Open source SDK for App development
Sensors
• Ultrasound
• Altimeter
• Optical flow camera
• Airspeed sensor (Pitot tube)
Inertial navigation system
• 3 axis gyroscope
• 3 axis accelerometer
• 3-axes magnetometer
Hardware
•CPU Dual core Cortex A9
• Internal Flash Memory: 32GB
Wi-Fi and transmissions
• Access point network
• WiFi AC-type, 2 bi-band antennas (2,4 and 5GHz)
• Up to 2km with Parrot SKYCONTROLLER or SKYCONTROLLER 2
Removable battery
• 2700 mAh / 25A 3 cells Lipo Battery
• Battery life : 45min
Parrot Skycontroller 2
• Weight: 500g
• Dimensions : 200x180x110mm
• 2 joysticks
• 8 shortcut buttons
• Battery Li-Po: 2700mAh
• Battery life: 240 minutes
• USB plug
• WiFi MIMO antennas
Parrot Cockpitglasses
• Weight : 390g
• FOV : 90°
• Compatible with a range of smartphone brands thanks to the adjustabole dock for smartphones. Compatible are smartphones with screen sizes from 4,7″ to 5,7″ and a thinkness from 6mm to 9,5mm.
