~$40 – $100 usedLaunched at $299 (2012). Power Edition with longer batteries followed in 2014
Discontinued · used/leftover onlyPython from a laptopResearch classicLinux onboardIndoor hullROS ardrone_autonomy
Possibly ≤ 1 weekShipping: Used only. Discontinued. Used units are common on eBay, though original batteries are usually worn. eBay search ↗
Remote control: Join its Wi-Fi and drive it from Node.js (
ar-drone) or ROS 1 ardrone_autonomy. Python wrappers such as ps-drone also exist.Overview
The Wi-Fi quadcopter that launched a thousand robotics theses. An open API, a Linux computer onboard and a foam indoor hull made it the default research drone around 2012–2015 (TUM's PTAM-based tum_ardrone is a well-known example). About half a million AR.Drones sold by 2013. Parrot ended production around 2018. Hardware is dated but cheap.
Specifications
| Category | Drones · Indoor drones |
|---|---|
| Released | 2012 |
| Availability | Discontinued · used/leftover only |
| Programmability | Full SDK |
| Best for | Ages 14+ (estimated) |
| Vision sensors | Camera, Sonar / ultrasonic |
| Actuators | Brushless / direct-drive motors |
| Audio | No audio |
| Compute type | Other ARM chip |
| Remote control | Python from a laptop |
| Size | ~52×52 cm with indoor hull, ~420 g |
| Drive | Quadcopter with foam indoor hull |
| Compute | 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8, Linux |
| Vision | 720p front camera + QVGA 60 fps downward camera |
| Lidar | None |
| Sensors | IMU, ultrasonic altimeter, barometer, magnetometer |
| Runtime | ~12 min (up to ~18 min with Power Edition battery) |
| Speed | Up to ~11 m/s (est.) |
| SDK | Official AR.Drone SDK 2.0 (open API), node-ar-drone, ardrone_autonomy (ROS 1) |
Ratings & reviews
Ratings and reviews load on the live site.
Tello EDU
Crazyflie 2.1 + AI-deck
CoDrone EDU
RoboMaster TT (Tello Talent)
Parrot Rolling Spider / Mambo
Airblock