NEW YORK, June 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Parrot, the leading European drone group, announces ANAFI. With ANAFI, Parrot again disrupts the drone universe and redefines the standards with a new-generation drone that is ultra-portable, equipped with a 4K HDR camera, super-efficient and easy to use.
For more than two years in Paris, a team of passionate engineers have been designing ANAFI: a drone with new capabilities. For the development of this new-generation drone, Parrot went into a start-up mode by mobilizing the entire company and taking a new step for the drone industry.
Parrot took into account user feedback to meet four essential needs: Image quality, flight performance, foldability and ease of use of the software and the piloting.
Out of these four key imperatives ANAFI was created and is an extraordinary drone that intends to mark a turning point in the world of drones:
- An ultra-portable, compact, rugged, lightweight and foldable UAV with a USB-C charging system.
- A 4K HDR camera with zoom, a 21MP sensor, a 3-axis stabilization system with, for the first time, a 180° vertically rotating camera and a lossless zoom up to 2.8x.
- Impressive flight time of 25 minutes, made possible by a “bio-inspired” design combined with a smart battery.
- A new intuitive app with automated movements of the drone and the camera.
Image Quality
ANAFI is a flying camera that embeds the best software and hardware solutions of the moment. The optics specially developed for ANAFI withstand temperatures from 14°F to 104°F. ANAFI uses a latest-generation Sony IMX230 sensor and an Ambarella video processor to produce spectacular 4K HDR (30fps) and 21MP photos.
ANAFI’s camera is mounted on a “gimbal,” stabilized on 3 axes, that combines the best mechanical and digital stabilizations. Lightweight and hyper-powerful, the stabilized gimbal on 2 axes makes it possible to take photos and videos hitherto impossible to achieve with a drone of this category thanks to a vertical tilt of -90° to + 90°.
ANAFI is equipped with a lossless zoom of 1.4x in 4K and 2.8x in full HD (1080p). It is also possible to zoom 3x in digital zoom. Photo and video experts and professionals can access and modify settings to adjust resolution, photo format, shutter speed, white balance, exposure value and rendering.
Flight Performance
The FreeFlight 6 application offers two manual control modes: Film and Sport. In Sport mode, ANAFI achieves speed peaks at 33 mph and withstands winds of 31 mph. Users can customize settings such as the incline of the drone, its rotation speed, the speed of the camera tilt, etc.
The ANAFI battery is a smart polymer lithium battery optimized to obtain the best power density in a small volume and a high rate of discharge, which allows ANAFI to achieve a 25-minute flight time, exceptional for a drone of its size. The ANAFI battery continuously monitors its charge level (regardless of the temperature and aging of the cell). During a flight, ANAFI evaluates the load level and returns to its take-off position.
The ANAFI battery has an integrated charger, compatible with the latest USB standard (USB-C) and can thus be charged via a phone charger, powerbank or laptop. It adapts to the power source, and the charge is faster when it is attached to a powerful charger. The ANAFI battery has a hibernation mode to protect its internal chemistry.
In addition, each foot of ANAFI is equipped with a dual-band antenna (2.4GHz & 5GHz) to ensure an optimal connection with the remote-control Parrot Skycontroller 3, regardless of the orientation of the drone. This omnidirectional transmission system uses Wi-Fi compliant protocols developed by Parrot.
ANAFI constantly monitors its Wi-Fi environment in order to switch to another channel when the one it uses is too crowded. This guarantees optimal spectrum utilization performance and allows ANAFI to fly up to 2.48 miles.
Foldability
ANAFI is an 11.2 ounce ultra-compact, robust and foldable drone. Its four arms fold and unfold in less than three seconds. In addition, the remote control is extremely portable as the Parrot Skycontroller 3unfolds in 1 second and automatically connects to ANAFI. Thanks to a unique assembly of carbon fiber filled with hollow glass microbeads, ANAFI is the lightest drone in its class at only 11.2 ounces, all without compromising its robustness and performance.
Easy to Use
The FreeFlight 6 application has been developed for ANAFI and offers a modern and intuitive interface. The main features are accessible directly from the home page.
The flight interface adapts to all users. Beginners have access to automatic control modes, such as SmartDronies or CineShots; professional photographers can select or customize camera settings. ANAFI offers automatic control modes: Smart Dronies, Cameraman mode and Follow Me, which use a neural network to reevaluate the target track for each image, with a focus on the shape recognition tracking system.
The FreeFlight 6 application and the Skycontroller3 long-range remote control have been jointly developed. The interaction between the two allows users to control the movement of the gimbal and the zoom with two dedicated keys very convenient. And change the settings directly on the smartphone screen.
ANAFI can be pre-ordered today and will be in store beginning July 1, 2018 at a price of $699 in select consumer electronics retailers, on Amazon.com and via Parrot.com.
About Parrot
Founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux, Parrot is today the leading European group in the fast-growing industry of drones. Visionary, at the forefront of innovation, Parrot is a real ‘End to End’ drone group from hardware and software to services. Parrot, the world’s number 2 of the consumer drone market, designs drones known for their high performance and ease of use. Parrot is also offering business solutions, covering drones, software and services mainly focusing on 3 major verticals: (i) Agriculture, (ii) 3D Mapping, Surveying and Inspection and (iii) Public safety. The Parrot Group designs and engineers its products in Europe, mainly in France and Switzerland. It currently employs 600 people worldwide and makes the majority of its sales outside of France. Parrot, headquartered in Paris, has been listed since 2006 on Euronext Paris (FR0004038263 – PARRO). For more information: www.parrot.com
SOURCE Parrot
