Flying the AR.Drone with VO and sighted help

Submitted by robin24 on Monday, July 21, 2014.
Forum
iOS and iPadOS

Hello all!
OK, maybe this is a weird question... But has anyone ever tried to operate the Parrot AR.Drone using VoiceOver and perhaps some sighted help to keep track of where it's flying?
For those who don't know, the AR.Drone is a quad copter drone which can be controlled using an iOS app. I've looked around the app a bit, and it seems quite accessible. Right now I obviously can't do much without being connected to an AR.Drone, but it seems as though the actual app is quite usable. From what I can tell, the AR.Drone will do all things related to takeoff and landing automatically. During flight, you simply tilt your iPhone in whatever direction you want it to fly. It's equipped with sensors to keep it stable in the air, so basically if you don't do anything it won't drift off and crash somewhere. Speaking of crashing, I've read that it also includes sensors to detect obstacles, so it's not supposed to just crash into a wall or such things. Of course it would still be necessary to have a sighted person who could watch it fly around and give directions... So I was just wondering, has anyone done this before and could provide some experience? I guess if this works it could certainly be a lot of fun! :-)
Thanks for any replies!!! :-)
Robin

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Comments

Submitted by Santiago on Thursday, November 13, 2014

I also want to try it out, although, I'm not sure how accessible it would be with VoiceOver and what not. Its something I would like to hear about before I try to purchase one, since it is a bit pricey. As for a blind person trying to fly it, I think you should be fine, as long as you know the landscape to a certain extent. For instance, if you are familiar with your area, then you might obviously know whether a wall is in front of you and what not. You can also hear the sound of the Drone, as I think these still make sounds like the toy airplanes and helicopters they used to sell in stores a while back.

Submitted by Jessica Brown on Thursday, November 13, 2014

Hi. I have never seen or tried one of these iOS controlled drones, but I have used the drones and cars and stuff from the toy store before that just have a remote with them and even though I am completely blind, I was able to drive or fly them around by just listening to where they are and where they are going. The engines are loud.

Submitted by rdfreak on Friday, November 14, 2014

Could someone please explain what the r'drome is? sounds interesting. I love the concept of being able to control flying objects. :)