News from France: One of the few remaining competitors to DJI, Parrot, has launched a racing drone: The Mambo FPV. Although it’s probably more precise to say that Parrot has launched several accessories that make its original Mambo – a $100, modular minidrone – suitable for flying FPV.
So it’s not the exciting product launch we were hoping for, but we’re still expecting a new Bebop or Disco to launch later this month.
The Parrot Mambo FPV
It says a lot about the state of the consumer drone market that Parrot’s focus appears to be straying from top dollar enthusiasts these days. Instead, the focus is shifting to commercial applications and toys at the bottom end of the market.
Parrot’s previous enthusiast models, the Bebop 2 and the Disco, have both been repurposed for professional applications. Although we are expecting new iterations of those in the near future, the French manufacturer seems keen to have broad ambitions across the autonomous vehicle sector, rather than attempt to dominate in one area.
So it’s to be expected that now, instead of targeting the growing drone racing market with a real contender, the company has simply repurposed its old Mambo with some added FPV accessories. The move makes perfect financial sense, of course. Drone manufacturers such as 3DR have been punished for investing too heavily in stock in the past, so repurposing hardware is a sensible move.
Parrot Mambo FPV: What You Need to Know
The original Parrot Mambo is a modular drone that can be flown with a number of different tools. The Mambo FPV has a few notable upgrades and accessories:
- A new battery – offering 10 minutes of flight time
- A new Parrot Flight Pad – with increased range, up to 100m
- An FPV Camera that offers streaming and recording in 720p HD at 30 frames per second
- Parrot CockpitGlasses 2 for live streaming
- Different flight modes for different abilities, from Easy to Drift to Racing
The Parrot Mambo FPV is now available for $179.99 from the Parrot store.
The First Major Manufacturer to Recognize the Potential of Drone Racing
Even though it’s not the hard-core model many would have wanted to see from Parrot, this tentative step into the drone racing industry is a significant move. Parrot is the first major manufacturer to target this growing market.
Perhaps it won’t be too long until DJI and Yuneec consider launching FPV racers.
Malek Murison is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for tech trends and innovation. He handles product reviews, major releases and keeps an eye on the enthusiast market for DroneLife.
Email Malek
Twitter:@malekmurison
Subscribe to DroneLife here.
[…] is walking away from the toy drone market. One of the French manufacturer’s products included the Mambo, a small FPV drone that came with a VR […]