Parrot's Anafi FPV Drone Gives You A Bird's Eye View With Strap-On VR Headset
As you might have surmised by now, the FPV stands for first-person view. Thanks to the drone's built-in 180-degree tilting camera, everything it sees is streamed back you via the Cockpitglasses headset. The headset works similarly to virtual reality counterparts that you may have seen in the past, and they allow you to slip your phone directly in front of your eyes. The view from the front-facing camera is then live-streamed at 720p to your smartphone's display.
When using the Cockpitglasses headset, you are presented with a HUD that displays drone vitals (speed, altitude, direction, etc.), geofencing limits, and any applicable safety alerts. In addition, the Anifa FPV has a See-Through Mode which will show you a separate live feed of your drone's real-time position via your smartphone's camera (as long as you are pointed towards it) and will give you visual directional pointers when the drone if off-screen. We'll have to experience these dueling views in person before we can truly judge them, but it sounds a bit like visual information overload.
Beyond the Cockpitglasses party trick, the Anifa FPV is a pretty standard, run-of-the-mill drone with a 21MP camera that is capable of shooting 4K video; it has 3-axis stabilization along with 3x zoom. With regards to actual drone performance, Parrot says that the Anifa FPV can travel at up to 31mph and will stay aloft for up to 26 minutes as long as you're not maxing out the top speed at every opportunity (recharging is accomplished using a standard USB-C connection).
The Anifa FPV All-in-One Pack comes with the drone itself, the controller, Cockpitglasses headset, an extra set of propellers, battery, 16GB microSD card, USB-C cable and a backpack for $799, which is an attractive price point given its features. The kit will go on sale later this month.
