Parrot AR.Drone Gets Dogfight Demo [Video]

We can't get enough of the Parrot AR.Drone iPhone-controlled quadricopter, and our all-too-brief play at CES back in January was enough to convince us that this is one "toy" we'll be asking for when it launches later in 2010.  Parrot have released a new video of the AR.Drone in action, this time with two of the units taking to the skies for an aerial battle.Video demo after the cut

The AR.Drone is controlled via a WiFi link to an iPhone or iPod touch, but it also has some particularly complex onboard intelligence.  Two cameras – one looking at the ground and one looking forward – are used to not only beam real-time footage back to the user, but also for the autopilot system.  When you've got just one unit that's used for object avoidance and stability, but when you've got two it makes dogfights more challenging.

Still, if you've only got one that doesn't mean you can't stage battles; the Parrot software can create virtual enemies shown on-screen to battle against.  Parrot still aren't saying anything specific regarding availability – only "later in 2010" – or pricing, but we're not expecting the AR.Drone to be especially cheap.