Sure, playing video games is a lot of fun on your iPhone or iPod Touch, but what if you could control a remote control helicopter?
If that sounds cool to you, you may be interested in the AR.Drone being introduced at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show. Built by Paris-based technology firm Parrot, this augmented reality toy helicopter is controlled via Wi-Fi using an application on the iPhone or iPod Touch.
By moving your iPhone up and down, you can control the movement of the helicopter, reports USA Today. There are also buttons on screen to help move the helicopter.
The chopper has four propellers and two on-board video cameras. One camera assists in flight, the other broadcasts video back to the device. That’s where game developers could use the toy’s capabilities to create augmented reality games to play in the real world, says Parrot founder Henri Seydoux.
“For the first time, you can play together with a friend like a flying ace,” he says. “You pilot your copter and could shoot him in the game, and the video camera makes that connection.”
Parrot is demonstrating the AR.Drone at the Consumer Electronics Show and talking to game developers who might want to use the technology. “This will bring imagination to the game space,” Seydoux says. “It is a new kind of gaming platform.”
No word yet on how much this new toy will set you back.
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