Parrot SA

The firm specializes in technologies involving voice recognition and signal processing for embedded products and remotely controlled flying machines (also known as drones). It also developed products related to car telephony: Parrot chipsets (including DSP), copyrighted noise reduction and echo cancelling algorithms, Bluetooth software stack, end-user applications (Bluetooth hands free car kits). The products are sold to consumers through retailers, and are also incorporated into vehicles with the factory-installed audio system.

In 1995 Parrot introduced Voicemate, a personal digital assistant with voice recognition. It was used by many visually impaired people, including Stevie Wonder.{{Cite web|last=Omer|date=9 October 2018|title=Parrot Drone Company and Product Review {{!}} Bebop and AR Drones|url=https://www.dronesinsite.com/drone-news/parrot-drone-company-review/|access-date=19 January 2021|website=DronesInsite|language=en-US}}

In 2000 Parrot launched the first Bluetooth hands-free car kit in partnership with Ericsson.{{Cite web|title=Three lessons from Parrot's saga - Paris Innovation Review|url=http://parisinnovationreview.com/articles-en/three-lessons-from-parrots-saga|access-date=19 January 2021|website=parisinnovationreview.com}}

In 2006, still developing the use of Bluetooth, the company also produced home products like digital photo frames and high fidelity wireless speakers.{{cite news |title=Taser Drone Grounded After Company's Ethics Board Resigns |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/taser-drone-grounded-after-companys-ethics-board-resigns |work=PCMag |language=en}}

In 2008, Parrot launched a Design By collection, featuring designers like Andrée Putman, Martin Szekely and Philippe Starck.{{cite news |title=Parrot reveals Starck-designed Zik Bluetooth touch-activated headset, Zikmu Solo wireless tower speaker (hands-on) |url=https://www.engadget.com/2012-01-10-parrot-reveals-starck-designed-zik-bluetooth-touch-enabled-heads.html |work=Engadget}}

In January 2010, Parrot introduced at CES Las Vegas the Parrot AR.Drone flying hardware piloted over Wi-Fi with a smartphone and Open API game development platform, ARdrone.org.{{cite news |title=Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Review: Fly Higher, Farther, and More Intuitively |url=https://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-07/parrot-ardrone-20-review-enhanced-drone-piloting-experience-seeks-long-lasting-battery/ |work=Popular Science |date=4 July 2012}}{{cite news |last1=Britt |first1=Robert Roy |title=Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 Quadricopter: A Drone Anyone Can Fly |url=https://www.livescience.com/43426-parrot-ar-drone-2-0-quadricopter-guide.html |work=livescience.com |date=15 February 2014 |language=en}}

File:Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 take-off, Nevada.jpg

In 2012 Parrot bought 57% of Swiss drone company SenseFly as well as 25% of the Swiss photogrammetry company Pix4D. Both companies are spin-offs from EPFL.{{Cite news|url=http://www.slashgear.com/parrot-partners-with-sensefly-and-pix4d-on-mapping-uavs-27240590/|title=Parrot partners with senseFly and Pix4D on mapping UAVs|date=27 July 2012|work=SlashGear|access-date=24 March 2018|language=en-US}}

File:Parrot Jumping Sumo robotic toy.jpg

In 2014 Parrot introduced the mini-drones Rolling Spider and Jumping Sumo at CES Las Vegas. Parrot increased its ownership in Pix4D to 57%. In May 2014 at the annual AUVSI conference in Orlando, Parrot announced the AR Drone 3.0,{{cite web |title=Parrot Debuts its AR.Drone 3.0 |url=https://hypebeast.com/2014/5/parrot-debuts-its-ar-drone-3-0 |website=Hypebeast |date=11 May 2014}} code-named Bebop, permitting YouTube personality Kyle Tarpley from the YouTube channel "AR Drone Show w/ Kyle Tarpley" to live-stream video the day before the conference opened.

Parrot also revealed the option for a Skycontroller, when purchasing the Bebop. The Skycontroller allows the Bebop Drone to fly up to 2 kilometers. The Parrot Bebop Drone is scheduled for a December 2014 release and it comes in blue, red, and yellow.{{cite web |last1=Popper |first1=Ben |title=The Parrot Bebop 2 drone is fun, fine, and fatally flawed — our review |url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/1/22/10814282/parrot-bebop-2-drone-review |website=The Verge |date=22 January 2016}}

File:Bebop Drone flying over Monaco beach.JPG

File:View of Paris Air Show taken by Bebop Drone.jpg

File:Photo taken by Bebop Drone over Dubai beach.JPG

At the January 2015 CES Las Vegas, Parrot unveiled the Parrot POT, a self-watering system for plants{{Cite news|url=http://mashable.com/2015/01/04/parrot-pot/|title=Parrot Pot can water your plants for you|last=Ulanoff|first=Lance|work=Mashable|access-date=24 March 2018|language=en}} and Parrot Zik Sport.{{Cite news|url=https://www.engadget.com/2015/01/04/parrot-zik-sport-headphones/|title=Parrot Zik Sport headphones do noise canceling, heart monitoring|work=Engadget|access-date=24 March 2018|language=en-US}}

In 2015, Parrot SA created two subsidiaries: Parrot Drones and Parrot Automotive.{{cite web |title=Faurecia to take control of 100% of Parrot Automotive |url=https://www.faurecia.com/en/newsroom/faurecia-take-control-100-parrot-automotive |website=Faurecia |date=6 July 2018 |language=en}}

File:Parrot POT inside.jpg

In San Francisco in November 2015, Parrot introduced the Bebop 2 drone.{{cite magazine |title=The Parrot Bebop 2 Drone Has Doubled Its Battery Life |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2015/11/the-parrot-bebop-2-drone-has-doubled-its-battery-life/ |publisher=wired.com|last1=Gottsegen |first1=Gordon }}

File:Bebop 2 at press conference in San Francisco.jpg

Parrot purchased shares in 2015 in startups specialized in the drones industry: Airinov, EOS Innovation, Micasense and Iconem.{{Cite web|title=Parrot lays off 35 percent of its drone team|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/01/10/parrot-lays-off-35-percent-of-its-drone-team/|access-date=19 January 2021|website=TechCrunch|date=10 January 2017 |language=en-US}}

In 2016, Parrot SA released the Disco FPV, the world's first smart flying fixed-winged drone.{{cite web |title=Parrot Disco FPV Review |url=https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/parrot-disco-fpv |website=PCMAG |language=en}}

In January 2017, Parrot announced firing 290 of its 840 employees due to poor sales.{{Cite web|date=10 January 2017|title=Falling Sales Force Parrot To Layoff 290 Drone Division Employees|url=https://quadcopter-addiction.com/2017/01/10/falling-sales-force-parrot-layoff-290-drone-division-employees/|access-date=19 January 2021|website=Quadcopter-Addiction.com|language=en-US}} The company then abandons its wireless and connected home devices to focus exclusively on drone manufacturing.

On 1 July 2018, Parrot released the Parrot Anafi folding drone with 4K HDR and 21 megapixel camera.{{Cite magazine|last=Priday|first=Richard|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/article/parrot-anafi-drone-specs-price-uk-release-date|title=Parrot's foldable Anafi drone is out to take on DJI's dominance|date=6 June 2018|magazine=Wired UK|access-date=25 March 2020|issn=1357-0978}}

In May 2019, Parrot has been selected by U.S. military to win the contract for making reconnaissance drone and received $11 million from Department of Defense.{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/french-drone-maker-parrot-selected-to-develop-spy-aircraft-for-the-us-military/ar-AAC2A1u|title=French drone maker Parrot selected to develop spy aircraft for the US military|website=www.msn.com|access-date=28 June 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/28/18642728/parrot-drones-us-military-department-of-defense-contract-china-dji|title=French drone maker Parrot selected to develop spy aircraft for the US military|website=www.theverge.com|date=28 May 2019 |language=en|access-date=28 June 2019}}

The R&D for this contract lead to the release of the ANAFI USA, a drone focused on easy deployment, robust design, reliability and high level of cybersecurity. The ANAFI USA is dedicated to the security and defense markets and has been acquired by various institutions in NATO countries (including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Northern Europe, and Japan).

In January 2021, Parrot sealed a deal with French army for 300 micro-drones.{{Cite web|title=Parrot décroche un contrat de 300 drones de l'armée plutôt que le chinois Dji|url=https://www.challenges.fr/high-tech/parrot-decroche-un-contrat-de-300-drones-de-l-armee-plutot-que-le-chinois-dji_745472|access-date=19 January 2021|website=Challenges|date=12 January 2021 |language=fr}}{{Cite news|date=11 January 2021|title=L'armée française fera voler des drones Parrot|language=fr|work=Le Monde.fr|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2021/01/11/l-armee-francaise-fera-voler-des-drones-parrot_6065910_3234.html|access-date=19 January 2021}}

On the first trimester of 2022, Parrot launched the ANAFI Ai designed for inspection and mapping professionals. With its image precision (48 MP sensor), its 4G connectivity, its capabilities for automating missions (Ai) and its protection of user data, its aim is to cover a growing number of use cases for the inspection of strategic infrastructures (telecoms, energy, engineering works), architecture and [https://constructiondigital.com/digital-construction/tinamu-drone-automation-revolutionises-inventory-management construction].

On May 11, 2023, [https://www.parrot.com/en/newsroom/tinamu-and-parrot-have-forged-a-technology-partnership-for-automated-indoor-monitoring-solutions Parrot announced a technological partnership with Tinamu], a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). The synergistic partnership provides a software layer to transform Parrot’s hardware into autonomous, self-navigating drones capable of operating in challenging indoor environments and has further amplified the scope and impact of Tinamu's solutions.

Parrot Drones is registered as a lobbyist with the French National Assembly. The company reports that in 2015, its annual expenses for direct lobbying activities before Parliament ranged between €50,000 and €100,000.{{Cite web |title=Représentant d'intérêts - Assemblée nationale |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/representant/detail_representant_interet/316152#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=archive.wikiwix.com}}

Parrot Drones has been listed in the EU Transparency Register since 2016 as an entity lobbying the European Commission. That year, it reported one full-time employee dedicated to lobbying activities and expenditures between €100,000 and €200,000.{{Cite web |title=Transparency Register - Search the register |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http://ec.europa.eu/transparencyregister/public/consultation/displaylobbyist.do?id=311141322456-49 |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=archive.wikiwix.com}}

In July 2024, the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorité des marchés financiers, AMF) fined Parrot and two of its executives, including Henri Seydoux, a total of €420,000. The penalty stemmed from the dissemination of false or misleading information in the company’s 2018 interim financial report.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-23 |title=L'AMF sanctionne Parrot et ses dirigeants à payer 420.000 euros d'amendes |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/l-amf-sanctionne-parrot-et-ses-dirigeants-a-payer-420-000-euros-d-amendes-20240723 |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr}}{{Cite web |title=La Commission des sanctions de l'AMF sanctionne un émetteur et deux de ses dirigeants à l’époque des faits pour manipulation de marché par diffusion d’informations fausses ou trompeuses. Elle sanctionne également l’un des dirigeants pour manquement d’i... |url=https://www.amf-france.org/fr/sanctions-transactions/communiques-de-la-commission-des-sanctions/la-commission-des-sanctions-de-lamf-sanctionne-un-emetteur-et-deux-de-ses-dirigeants-lepoque-des |access-date=2025-04-07 |website=AMF |language=fr}}

Its stock symbol on the Paris stock exchange is PARRO and the company is currently a member of the CAC Small 90.

Parrot is listed on the Eurolist by Euronext (Compartment B) Paris stock market since 2006 under the symbol PARRO, Code ISIN FR0004038263.

{{Reflist}}

File:Parrot DISCO drone (23849220994).jpg

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrot (Company)}}

Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1994

Category:Electronics companies of France

Category:Manufacturing companies based in Paris

Category:Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers

Category:French brands

Category:Companies listed on Euronext Paris

Category:1994 establishments in France

Category:French companies established in 1994

Category:Publicly traded companies