Parrot Introduces New MiniDrones, Including LEGO-Compatible Model

Parrot Jumping Night (pic courtesy of Parrot)
Parrot Jumping Night (pic courtesy of Parrot)

As reported by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) this week, Parrot has introduced five new smartphone-controlled MiniDrone toys, all based on the company’s Rolling Spider and Jumping Sumo models. According to WSJ’s Personal Tech News blog, all five are set to go on sale in the U.S. and France this September, with other countries to follow in the weeks after.

Parrot Hydrofoil MiniDrone (pic courtesy of Parrot)

The new MiniDrones include the Hydrofoil, a small quadcopter that snaps into a foam and plastic boat body. After being powered up in water, the copter propels the boat forward; and as the Hydrofoil nears its top speed of 6 miles per hour, the craft rises two inches to skim the water’s surface.

The Hydrofoil can be controlled via Bluetooth at a range of up to 80 feet, and the quadcopter can be detached and flown around separately.

The Airborne Night and the Airborne Cargo are both tiny quadcopters capable of roughly 9 minutes of continuous flying. The Airborne Night has LED lights in front that allow for flying in the dark. Through Parrot’s FreeFlight iOS and Android app, users can adjust the intensity of the lights, control flight speed, and perform 90- and 180-degree turns and other aerial tricks.

In addition, the Airborne Cargo is covered with LEGO-compatible nibs that allow bricks and other parts to be snapped onto the drone’s body.

The Jumping Night and the Jumping Race are two-wheeler MiniDrones featuring live-streaming cameras, a top speed of 8 miles per hour, and in the case of the Jumping Night, built-in LED headlights. Similar to Parrot’s Jumping Sumo, each has a spring-loaded piston that propels them as high as 2.5 feet into the air.

About the author

Phil Guie

Phil Guie

Phil Guie is an associate editor at Adventure Publishing Group. He writes and edits articles for The Toy Book and The Licensing Book. Phil also serves as lead editor for The Toy Book Blog and The Toy Report newsletter, and manages social media for The Toy Book. But of course, Phil’s pride and joy are his weekly reviews for The Toy Insider, in which he writes about video games, movies, and other cool things. His hobbies include comics, baking, fidgeting, and traveling to off-the-beaten places and making new friends.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube