There’s a new drone on the way from Parrot, who are responsible for the splendid AR.Drone series of flying cameramen, and it has got a somewhat different look from preview iterations. To go along with the new look, the company has also dropped a bunch of new hardware into the Bebop Drone and a couple of new features besides.

Parrot have updated the camera for the Bebop, which will be using a 14MP fisheye shooter that is capable of HD video and shots and it has a 180 degree range of vision. It’ll also have 3-axis stabilisation, so it should lead to more accurate shots from your aerial spy. It’ll be using a Wi-Fi 802.11ac MIMO wireless connection for control, along with some revamped ceramic antennae to increase the range of the drone and then there’s the new controller, known as the Skycontroller.

Users will still be able to use this AR.Drone 3.0 with a mobile device, with the standard twin-stick touchscreen or motion control options, but Parrot is introducing the Skycontroller which will greatly increase the range of the drone. A tablet or smartphone can be mounted in the Skycontroller but it has another function. A VR headset – like the Oculus Rift – can be connected to the peripheral, allowing users to control the Bebop (more or less) from a first person view. That’s an interesting addition, all on its own.

Pricing and availability… that’s something we don’t know just yet and it also looks like Parrot may still have a bit more to reveal about the Bebop. We’ll keep you posted.

Source: Parrot