Parrot Jumping Sumo and MiniDrone become official at CES 2014

Parrot has unveiled two new toy drones, called Jumping Sumo and MiniDrone, that continue the legacy of the AR.Drone at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014.

Parrot has acquired a huge deal of popularity when it has announced the AR.Drone at CES 2010. Exactly four years have passed since then, but the radio-controlled quadcopter is still a great toy and it has even been succeeded by the AR.Drone 2.0.

Driven by the project’s success, the company has decided to introduce two new toys at this year’s CES. They are called Jumping Sumo and MiniDrone. The latter is inspired by the AR.Drone, while the former is probably taking its leaping abilities from a grasshopper.

Parrot announces MiniDrone quadcopter at CES 2014

Parrot MiniDrone is a lightweight and tiny quadcopter that can be controlled by an Android or iOS device via Bluetooth Smart LE technology.

The focus is on the Parrot MiniDrone as it is a quadcopter with true flying capabilities. It connects to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth Smart LE (Low Energy).

Users can control the drone with ease using an application available for download on Android and iOS devices.

Flight controls are pretty straightforward and users can even perform eye-catching tricks. Everything is possible due to its design, as the device is lightweight and tiny.

If you do not want to maintain full control over it, then Parrot’s new quadcopter comes with an auto-pilot.

Unfortunately, the price and release date have not been announced, but it is very likely that these details will be made public in the coming weeks.

Parrot Jumping Sumo is a leaping drone with a built-in camera

Parrot Jumping Sumo is a new toy drone that can leap up to 80 centimeters and provide some interesting vantage points thanks to its integrated image sensor.

The second model is the Parrot Jumping Sumo. It may be a weird name, but this drone is quite the jumper. Its nickname is “insectoid” as it jumps exactly like an insect, such as the grasshopper.

It can “fly” only for a few seconds, as its jump comes to an abrupt end. Anyway, it can be controlled via 2.4GHZ / 5GHz WiFi using Android and iOS mobile devices.

This tiny robot comes packed with an accelerometer as well as a gyroscope so that users can pilot it with greater accuracy. It performs acrobatics, just like its brother, but this thing is harder to damage since it cannot land on anything else but its set of wheels.

The insectoid can jump up to 80 centimeters so you might even scare off some people who are not paying enough attention to the surroundings.

It features a built-in image sensor and it can stream videos to your smartphone or tablet. Your touchscreen also acts as a Live View mode, so that you can see where you are heading without looking at your Jumping Sumo.

Just like its brother, the Jumping Sumo does not have a release date, or a price, yet, therefore you need to stay tuned to find out more.