Parrot announces an 'uncrashable' fixed-wing drone

Parrot has unveiled a new fixed-wing designed drone, which sees the company move away from its conventional quadcopter design. The Disco drone is built with an onboard camera, which can be controlled by Parrot's Skycontroller and FreeFlight 3 app. Disco can fly at a top speed of 50mph over a range of around 1.25 miles, and the user is able to connect to a set of first-person view (FPV) glasses through the app, built specifically for longer distance flying. Multiple sensors means the drone can monitor its surrounding environment, speed and distance from the ground, helping it to stabilise flight and avoid crashing. The flying time of the drone is 45 minutes and includes automatic landing.

Fixed-wing remote control aircraft have of course been available for many years, but most require a skill level beyond that of most commercial drone hobbyists. But thanks to a range of on-board sensors including a gyroscope, magnetometer, barometer and a GPS Pitot speed sensor, the Disco will automatically smooth out issues that would lead to disaster with other similar hardware.

WIRED

Read more: Gallery: Parrot's Disco drone is an 'uncrashable' fixed-wing aircraft

To get it flying you simply shake it to reset the sensors, and then toss it into the air — the drone will level itself and start flying in circles until you're ready to take control. When you want to land it, you select the type of landing you want and the Disco takes care of the rest.

Crucially it is also virtually "impossible" to crash, Parrot'sPR director Vanessa Loury tells WIRED. "It is the first easy-to-use and ready to fly 'flying wing' for consumers," she claimed. "The advantage is it is more elegant, more graceful. You really fly like a bird," she said. "The idea is to enable people to simply say "turn right, turn left" and the autopilot will do the rest, to make it stable. It's impossible to have any wrong manoeuvres with the Disco. It will never fall down."

The Disco features 32 GB of onboard video storage, and works with Parrot's Freeflight app and Sky Controller -- though it will also be compatible with other third-party systems.

Parrot says the Disco uses some of the tech it acquired when it bought senseFly, makers of professional fixed-wing drones, in 2012.

Sadly the Disco is currently in a prototyping stage, and won't be available until the end of 2016. There is also no word on price, and needless to say you will still need to use it within the existing "drone code" governing use of drones, making it a choice for holidays and creative filming rather than a way to get unique, but illegal, clips of the London skyline or professional sports events.