Parrot Bebop Drone And Skycontroller: HD Video Eye In The Sky

Many of us have gazed in awe at some of the gorgeous, high-definition videos captured with ultra-expensive drones, and wished we could produce the same kind of imagery on our own. But for most of us, budgets would not allow it.  With that in mind, Parrot sought to integrate a quality, full HD video camera into a lightweight drone, built with safety and accessibility as top priorities. The company also wanted to produce a drone that offered an engaging piloting experience with substantial range and an expertly designed, custom controller kit. The end result is the Bebop Drone and Skycontroller kit we'll be showing you here today.

Parrot Bebop Drone Specifications & Features

Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac  Wi-Fi antennas: MIMO dual-band with 2 double-sets of dipole antennas for 2.4 and 5 GHz Sending power: Up to 21 dBm Signal range: Up to 250 meters Structure 4 Brushless Outrunner motors Glass fiber reinforced (15%) ABS structure High-resistance EPP outdoor hull: Clip and unclip easily to adapt to indoor and outdoor flight, protects the propellers against potential bumps, can be removed to reduce wind factor Three-blade auto-block propellers in Polycarbonate with fast disassembly system Anti-vibration bumpers Speed 13 m/s Camera CMOS 14Mpx, 1/2.3"  "Camera with "Fisheye" lens 180° 1/2,2"": 6 optical elements and 14 Mega pixels sensor Video stabilization: Digital on 3-axes Video definition: 1920x1080p (30fps) Photo definition: 4096x3072 px Video encoding: H264 Photo file format: JPEG, RAW, DNG Internal memory: Flash 8 GB Battery Lithium Polymer  Lithium Polymer 1200 mAh Flight time: 22 minutes with 2 batteries included Processor CPU: Dual-Core  Mother board: Parrot P7 dual-core CPU Cortex 9 Quad core GPU 8Gb flash memory All fixed on a magnesium shelf that acts as electromagnetic shielding and as a radiator Operating system: Linux Developping: Open-source SDK Sensors 3-axes  3-axes magnetometer 3-axes gyroscope 3-axes accelerometer Optical-flow sensor: Vertical stabilization camera (Every 16 milliseconds, an image of the ground is taken and compared to the previous one to determine the speed of the Bebop Drone) Ultrasound sensor (Analyzes the flight altitude up to 8 meters) Pressure sensor Geo-location GNSS  GNSS (GPS + GLONASS) (fig.6)  Dimensions 28x32x3.6cm  28x32x3.6cm without the hull 33x38x3.6cm with the hull Weight 400g  With battery, 400g without the hull and 420g with the hull Compatibility iOS, Android, Windows Phone Smartphones/tablets Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac  Wi-Fi antennas: MIMO dual-band with 2 double-sets of dipole antennas for 2.4 and 5 GHz Sending power: Up to 21 dBm Signal range: Up to 250 meters Structure 4 Brushless Outrunner motors Glass fiber reinforced (15%) ABS structure High-resistance EPP outdoor hull: Clip and unclip easily to adapt to indoor and outdoor flight, protects the propellers against potential bumps, can be removed to reduce wind factor Three-blade auto-block propellers in Polycarbonate with fast disassembly system Anti-vibration bumpers Speed 13 m/s Camera CMOS 14Mpx, 1/2.3"  "Camera with "Fisheye" lens 180° 1/2,2"": 6 optical elements and 14 Mega pixels sensor Video stabilization: Digital on 3-axes Video definition: 1920x1080p (30fps) Photo definition: 4096x3072 px Video encoding: H264 Photo file format: JPEG, RAW, DNG Internal memory: Flash 8 GB Battery Lithium Polymer 1200 mAh Flight time: 22 minutes with 2 batteries included Processor CPU: Dual-Core  Mother board: Parrot P7 dual-core CPU Cortex 9 Quad core GPU 8Gb flash memory All fixed on a magnesium shelf that acts as electromagnetic shielding and as a radiator Operating system: Linux Developping: Open-source SDK Sensors 3-axes magnetometer 3-axes gyroscope 3-axes accelerometer Optical-flow sensor: Vertical stabilization camera (Every 16 milliseconds, an image of the ground is taken and compared to the previous one to determine the speed of the Bebop Drone) Ultrasound sensor (Analyzes the flight altitude up to 8 meters) Pressure sensor Geo-location GNSS (GPS + GLONASS) Dimensions 28x32x3.6cm without the hull 33x38x3.6cm with the hull Weight With battery, 400g without the hull and 420g with the hull Compatibility iOS, Android, Windows Phone Smartphones/tablets

---

Although some may scoff at a brightly colored drone with (gasp!) an integrated camera, Parrot has succeeded in bringing a very good quality video experience to a lightweight and surprisingly sturdy drone.  I have been using the Bebop and Skycontroller for a couple of months now and have shot some very nice footage over scraggly rock peaks, bright sandy Pacific beaches, and a collection of urban parks.  I have even crashed the drone into a tree, a brick wall and, my TV, and other than a few scratches on the propellers everything came away unscathed.