Parrot minidron review
Gone are the days when a toy car, wrapping backwards from a click, aroused delight in children. Modern toys are more than just radio-controlled cars, but their distribution is still limited by a large number of numbers on the price tag. The well-known manufacturer of drones - the company Parrot - has introduced several new products to the market that can be attributed to the niche of affordable mini-bots.
Parrot Jumping Sumo, in our opinion, is not only entertainment for children, but also a timekiller for their bored parents. This device, piloted via Wi-Fi (using a smartphone or tablet), is capable of jumping to a height of more than 70 cm and moving, instantly turning around 90 or 180 degrees.
Parrot Rolling Spider is a mini-drone suitable for the first acquaintance with the world of quadrocopters.
We will start from the earthly, but bursting into the sky Jumping Sumo.
Appearance
Next to the scale of the iPad mini
A small, lightweight box with an even lighter device inside.
Jumping drone, cord with microUSB connector, battery, user manual. Three stickers are attached to the box, giving a touch of light personality.
The main part of the Jumping Sumo is placed in the male palm, and the width does not exceed 20 centimeters.
Let's face it: the robot does not look like Boston Dynamics monsters, it looks fragile and a little ridiculous - huge wheels are molded to a small plastic case. However, the actual operation of the Jumping Sumo reverses the impression - it is extremely difficult to “kill” the robot. It weighs almost like your smartphone - only 180 grams.
On the back side is a slot for installing a battery. The "tail" of the robot, reinforced with an iron structure, is necessary for jumping.
In front are two LED “eyes”, a power button, a microUSB port and speakers for small noise effects.
Control
Jumping Sumo connects to your phone or tablet via Wi-Fi - to do this, select the appropriate network from the list of wireless networks. Management is carried out through the application Free Flight, running on Android, IOS and Windows Phone. Despite the serial number 3 in the name of the application, it is not free from glitches: the connection does not always happen immediately, sometimes the program simply “freezes”, and the image from the camera disappears.
A child will be able to quickly deal with Free Flight 3, but the developers for insurance have added a detailed tutorial to the application, including links to training videos (in English).
After connecting the mobile device to the display, we see what the Jumping Sumo camera “sees”, plus virtual buttons are available: the long bar on the left of the screen is designed to control forward / backward movement, the buttons on the right are responsible for a quick turn of 90 and 180 degrees. On the right side are all the additional buttons that allow you to perform vertical and horizontal jumps, as well as show a number of programmed tricks (for example, a short jerk along the S-shaped curve). A small number of movement actions can be programmed independently.
In the upper right corner of the display are photography buttons with a resolution of 640x480 and video recording in the same resolution. Hundreds of photos can be stored in the internal memory of the device, however, to record video you will need a USB flash drive with a MicroUSB connector.
Is it possible to classify Jumping Sumo as a spy device class? In the world of almost silent drones monitoring nuclear power plants , there is definitely no. But you will definitely be pleased to see photos of a shocked cat taken by surprise, or the puzzled face of a colleague on whose table Jumping Sumo instantly ascended.
The maximum radius of the Jumping Sumo is 50 meters (if there are no obstacles in the way), but the battery life from a fully charged battery will be a maximum of 20 minutes.
Test
The big problem with all robots, small and large, is overcoming obstacles. A gadget that successfully chases a domestic cat on a carpet becomes almost helpless on an uneven surface. Parrot Jumping Sumo is fully prepared to deal with the issue. Equipped with retractable wheels for greater stability, built-in gyroscope and accelerometer, the robot is capable of sharp turns and high jumps from the original position.
The main feature of the gadget is bewitching jumps from a place. Compressing two springs, and then releasing them, the drone launches itself forward or upward by 80 centimeters. Climbing stairs, jumping onto a bed or table is really fun.
The machine will accelerate to 7 km / h, which is convenient when you need to kick some object thoroughly or slip through a fleecy carpet. You can only move in a straight line, a turn is possible at 90 and 180 degrees.
Wheels that provide good protection against falls wear out quickly from driving over rough terrain outside the home / office. The movement on the grass is extremely difficult - Jumping Sumo is not enough weight, the wheels are slipping. The conclusion is simple: the device is not intended for outdoor use.
Battery
With such dimensions, installing a more powerful battery was problematic, so 20 minutes is the limit of work. It is not scary if it were not for the subsequent 90-minute charge, which can only be done using the microUSB cable of the drone in which the battery is installed.
Rolling spider
Parrot's Rolling Spider is a flying drone, much like its ground counterpart. It is controlled in the same way, through the Free Flight application, which connects via Bluetooth 4.0, and is able to do several acrobatic tricks.
Rolling Spider, rechargeable battery, 2 safety wheels The
drone is miniature (55 grams!) And is absolutely safe - it can be used in the apartment without fear for the safety of things and the device itself. The robust plastic case easily copes with numerous inevitable collisions. In case of impacts, the screws are instantly locked. And no - they won’t cut off your finger :)
For greater safety, you can attach two plastic wheels to the aircraft to protect the body, but without additional weight, the Rolling Spider flies faster.
The drone makes high-speed turns at 90 ° and 180 °, loops back and forth, and thanks to the safety wheels it can ride both on the floor and on the ceiling.
Using the motion sensor in the phone, you can direct the drone in the right direction. The drone responds well to commands, and managing it is not at all difficult.
You can stick a fanged face sticker on an aggressive “face” - 12 pieces are included
. Unfortunately, the small drone is very voracious - the batteries last only 8 minutes of a continuous flight, and you have to charge it in exactly the same way as Jumping Sumo. By the way, minidron batteries are interchangeable.
The camera is located on the bottom
During the flight, you can take several photos with a 0.3 megapixel camera installed in the lower part of the hull. They are stored on internal memory (32 MB) and are available after connecting the device to a computer.
In rainy and windy weather, using the drone outdoors is extremely difficult. A barely noticeable breeze will be able to carry the drone, but even in the calm "ceiling" of the flight - 5 meters in height. The drone is well controlled indoors, shows tricks literally centimeters from the wall, and completes the flight with a neat landing.
To summarize
Minidrons are a new generation of gadgets designed to kill time. Not many toys boast jumping like the Jumping Sumo. The compact size of the device will allow you to explore the inaccessible (or captured) territory of your own apartment.
None of these drones are intended for covert surveillance. Their goal is to demonstrate some tricks that you will soon learn based on programmed commands.
Due to its low cost, Jumping Sumo is becoming a good alternative for Wi-Fi \ Bluetooth-controlled cars in a rather poor niche of mini-bots.
The Rolling Spider introduces you to the concept of a drone and demonstrates quadrocopter flights on a miniature scale. The drone can recommend to those who want to master the skills of unmanned flights, but are afraid to lose an expensive device.