Parrot AR.Drone Unveiled at CES 2010: Quadricopter with Camera

by Jordan Yerman | January 6, 2010 at 08:18 am

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AR.Drone, a remote-control robot toy made by Parrot, was unveiled at CES 2010. The AR.Drone is a Wi-Fi-controlled "quadricopter" controlled by an iPhone or iPod Touch. An onboard camera shows you what the drone sees on your handset's screen. This is perhaps the most interesting thing to emerge so far from CES2010; definitely the most surprising. Aside from augmented-reality (AR) games, the AR.Drone could be used for copter-to-copter games, or... well, what else would you use a flying remote-controlled camera for? I'm just saying. Currently the AR.Drone's parent site is over capacity, but you can at least see an image of the AR.Drone.

A quick nod to Keith Stewart at The Guardian: You called it, dude:

When surveillance and robotics collide, you pretty much have the future of gaming - a hyper-reality where android beings are sent out into the real world, viewed and controlled remotely, interacting with each other and us. The Sims, but real. It's going to happen.

Interestingly, the craft can apparently be flown both inside and out in the open, suggesting two possibilities: massive multiplayer deathmatches in the skies above; and mid-air voyeurism