Foldable Quadcopter Weighs Just Over 11 Ounces

European drone group Parrot has announced ANAFI, which the company describes as a new-generation drone that is ultra-portable, equipped with a 4K HDR camera, super-efficient and easy to use.

For more than two years in Paris, a team of engineers have been designing ANAFI. For the development of this new-generation drone, Parrot went into a start-up mode by mobilizing the entire company and taking a new step for the drone industry.

Parrot took into account user feedback to meet four essential needs: Image quality, flight performance, foldability and ease of use of the software and the piloting. Out of these four key imperatives ANAFI was created and is an extraordinary drone that intends to mark a turning point in the world of drones:

• An ultra-portable, compact, rugged, lightweight and foldable UAV with a USB-C charging system.
• A 4K HDR camera with zoom, a 21MP sensor, a 3-axis stabilization system with, for the first time, a 180° vertically rotating camera and a lossless zoom up to 2.8x.
• Impressive flight time of 25 minutes, made possible by a "bio-inspired" design combined with a smart battery.
• A new intuitive app with automated movements of the drone and the camera.

ANAFI is a flying camera that embeds the best software and hardware solutions of the moment. The optics specially developed for ANAFI withstand temperatures from 14°F to 104°F. ANAFI uses a latest-generation Sony IMX230 sensor and an Ambarella video processor to produce spectacular 4K HDR (30fps) and 21MP photos.

ANAFI's camera is mounted on a "gimbal," stabilized on 3 axes, that combines the best mechanical and digital stabilizations. Lightweight and hyper-powerful, the stabilized gimbal on 2 axes makes it possible to take photos and videos hitherto impossible to achieve with a drone of this category thanks to a vertical tilt of -90° to + 90°.

ANAFI is equipped with a lossless zoom of 1.4x in 4K and 2.8x in full HD (1080p). It is also possible to zoom 3x in digital zoom. Photo and video experts and professionals can access and modify settings to adjust resolution, photo format, shutter speed, white balance, exposure value and rendering.

The FreeFlight 6 application offers two manual control modes: Film and Sport. In Sport mode, ANAFI achieves speed peaks at 33 mph and withstands winds of 31 mph. Users can customize settings such as the incline of the drone, its rotation speed, the speed of the camera tilt, etc.

The ANAFI battery is a smart polymer lithium battery optimized to obtain the best power density in a small volume and a high rate of discharge, which allows ANAFI to achieve a 25-minute flight time, exceptional for a drone of its size. The ANAFI battery continuously monitors its charge level (regardless of the temperature and aging of the cell). During a flight, ANAFI evaluates the load level and returns to its take-off position.

The ANAFI battery has an integrated charger, compatible with the latest USB standard (USB-C) and can thus be charged via a phone charger, powerbank or laptop. It adapts to the power source, and the charge is faster when it is attached to a powerful charger. The ANAFI battery has a hibernation mode to protect its internal chemistry.

In addition, each foot of ANAFI is equipped with a dual-band antenna (2.4GHz & 5GHz) to ensure an optimal connection with the remote-control Parrot Skycontroller 3, regardless of the orientation of the drone. This omnidirectional transmission system uses Wi-Fi compliant protocols developed by Parrot.

ANAFI constantly monitors its Wi-Fi environment in order to switch to another channel when the one it uses is too crowded. This guarantees optimal spectrum utilization performance and allows ANAFI to fly up to 2.48 miles.

ANAFI is an 11.2 ounce ultra-compact, robust and foldable drone. Its four arms fold and unfold in less than three seconds. In addition, the remote control is extremely portable as the Parrot Skycontroller 3 unfolds in 1 second and automatically connects to ANAFI. Thanks to a unique assembly of carbon fiber filled with hollow glass microbeads, ANAFI is the lightest drone in its class at only 11.2 ounces, all without compromising its robustness and performance.

The FreeFlight 6 application has been developed for ANAFI and offers a modern and intuitive interface. The main features are accessible directly from the home page. The flight interface adapts to all users. Beginners have access to automatic control modes, such as SmartDronies or CineShots; professional photographers can select or customize camera settings. ANAFI offers automatic control modes: Smart Dronies, Cameraman mode and Follow Me, which use a neural network to reevaluate the target track for each image, with a focus on the shape recognition tracking system.

The FreeFlight 6 application and the Skycontroller3 long-range remote control have been jointly developed. The interaction between the two allows users to control the movement of the gimbal and the zoom with two dedicated keys very convenient. And change the settings directly on the smartphone screen.

ANAFI can be pre-ordered today and will be in store beginning July 1, 2018 at a price of $699.

(Images provided with Parrot news release)

FMI: Parrot.com