AR.Pursuit: The First Game in Augmented Reality Especially Developed for the AR.Drone

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Nov 18, 2010, 11:28 ET

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Nov. 18, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, announces the availability of AR.Pursuit, a game in augmented reality that takes advantage of the exceptional technical and flight capabilities of the Parrot AR.Drone.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101118/CL04422-a )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101118/CL04422-a )

Available end of November in the Apple App Store, AR.Pursuit enables players to measure and challenge their piloting skills.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101118/CL04422-b )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101118/CL04422-b )

The rules of the game

AR.Pursuit is a two-player pursuit game, where a player has to escape from the other one, as in the game of cat and mouse.

The "pursuer" has two kinds of virtual weapons to reach its opponent:

Automatic machine gun: as soon as the frontal camera detects the pursued AR.Drone, bullets are automatically sent in order to slow it down. When it is hit, the AR.Drone will physically 'react' to the attack and the escape maneuvers will be more difficult for the pilot.
Missiles: when the opponent is locked on the screen, the pilot of the pursuer AR.Drone has to shake his/her iPhone/iPod touch/iPad to send a missile.

When it is hit by a missile, the "pursued" becomes "pursuer" and so on. At half time, the roles are automatically reversed. The winner is the player who has the longest escape time during the entire game.

A technological first

Once the Bluetooth of the iDevice is on, each player connects to his/her AR.Drone in Wi-Fi and launches AR.Pursuit.

One of the players selects the "create" option on the main menu and indicates his/her opponent's color and type of hull (indoor or outdoor).

The second player selects the "join" option in the main menu and also indicates the characteristics of his/her opponent. Then the game can start.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101118/CL04422-c )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101118/CL04422-c )

Each player can see on the screen of his/her iPhone/iPod touch/iPad what the AR.Drone is seeing. Each action, a shoot received or launched, will also be visualized on the screen via the magic of augmented reality.

Note: If the game is played with indoor hulls, players should place the colored stickers (sold with the AR.Drone) on it.

AR.Pursuit is an enthralling game that makes the most of the extreme maneuverability and stability of the AR.Drone, and which dives the players into a world where real and virtual are mingling… A first!

Video

YouTube.com/Ardrone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG5pqTWVahQ

Game time: 1 to 9 minutes (3 minutes by default) - The roles of each player are arbitrarily defined at the beginning of the game.
Game available around Nov. 26 in the App Store(SM)
Price: $2.99

For more information, visit www.parrot.com

About PARROT

Parrot, a global leader in wireless devices for mobile phones, stands on the cutting edge of innovation. The company was founded in 1994 by Henri Seydoux as part of his determination to drive the inevitable breakthrough of mobile phones into everyday life by creating high-quality, user-friendly wireless devices for easy living. Parrot has developed the most extensive range of hands-free systems on the market for cars, motorbikes and scooters, including wireless multimedia products geared towards audiovisual applications. In 2008, Parrot launched a new prestige line of high-end products bearing the hallmark of renowned artists and in 2010, the AR.Drone, the first quadricopter piloted via wi-fi and using augmented reality.

Parrot, headquartered in Paris, currently employs 450 people worldwide and generates 85% of its sales overseas. Parrot is listed on NYSE Euronext Paris since 2006. (FR0004038263 – PARRO)

More information : www.parrot.com / www.ardrone.com / www.parrotoem.com

SOURCE Parrot