The Parrot Bebop 2 Drone – Flies Lighter and Longer than ever Before!
Parrot’s Bebop 2 was recently launched in a San Francisco event. This next generation Parrot Bebop drone is expected to be out on December 14th and does include several significant improvements, including a spectacular 25-minute flight on a single charge.
The Bebop 2 Drone’s second unique feature is its stationary fisheye lens camera system which is having its debut on the drone. The heavy and fragile camera gimbal system is now taken off to allow users to pan the drone’s camera at a physical level and also to give a wide-angled image too. The ride and flight is therefore much lighter, with its resilient camera design on a mechanical level, although some photographic flexibility is compromised.
About the Makers and Bebop Drones
Parrot is known to be a great innovator for drones and high-tech products as the original Bebop quadcopter can help in delivering a live drone’s-eye 1080p video for several platforms. The original Bebop lasted for 12 minutes. But the new Bebop 2 can remain aloft for double the time, for 25 minutes.
The new Bebop 2 drone is touted as a consumer gadget than a toy and relies on GPS, proximity sensors and cameras for hovering in the air.
Bebop 2 – The Drone’s Working
For recording 1080p video, the remote control app can help users to virtually pan within the incoming video stream and stores it within the mobile device over Wi-Fi. Photos can be shot at 14 megapixels through the fisheye system, and needs to be processed for a flatter image.
- The Bebop 2 has a larger battery than the original Bebop and the added weight needs extra power to lift it.
- The makers improved the efficiency of motors and propellers and hence the three-blade props are now 6 inches in diameter rather than 5.5 inches.
- The top speed of Bebop 2 is 37 miles per hour, and the makers suggest better stability of the drone when the wind picks up.
- Sensors beneath the Bebop 2 can help in distance detection from the ground and to assess air pressure.
- Additionally the fixed fisheye lens can be termed as an asset or liability depending on one’s needs.
Many small refinements have been made to the design, with powerful motors delivering improved thrust and speed along with a GPS chipset that increases location precision drastically.
The propeller system shuts off automatically of it meets an obstacle. This is part of the emergency cut-out feature that disables the four motors if there is an obstacle on the way. Generally drones are said to be menacing and this motor cut-out feature is inbuilt to reduce the menace when struck by one. Also it saves on the propeller, as one would have few crashes with the drone completely unscathed.
Bebop 2 Firmware Update
Parrot plans to roll out a firmware update that will introduce several internal software improvements to the earlier model too. The new features include better flight stabilization and image quality and this helps early adopters to benefit from the enhancements.
Pricing and Relevance
Priced at $549, the Bebop 2 is in the mid-priced segment of the drone market. With its price, the image quality and feature set is better than the toy cameras and drones. Its unique fixed-camera system is extremely powerful for photographers and videographers and the luxuriously long 25 minute flight time is great enough for the professionals helping them to get outstanding shots in the air. You can drive the Bebop 2 with FreeFlight 3 app, which is available for both iOS and Android. It can also be controlled by Skycontroller accessory that has an iPad in the middle and lets users pilot the gadget with physical joysticks. One can buy the accessory as part of the Bebop 2 bundle at $800.
Keval Padia is the founder & CEO of Nimblechapps, a fast-growing mobile app development company. The current innovation and updates of the field lures him to express his views and thoughts on certain topics.