The drone is designed to be controlled by mobile or tablet operating systems, such as iOS or Android[1] within their respective apps or the unofficial software available for Windows Phone, Samsung BADA and Symbian devices.

[3] The airframe of the AR.Drone, constructed from nylon and carbon fiber parts, which make it light weight, measures 57 cm (22 in) across.

In total, the AR.Drone has six degrees of freedom, with a miniaturized inertial measurement unit tracking the pitch, roll, and yaw for use in stabilisation.

The onboard computer runs a Linux operating system, and communicates with the pilot through a self-generated Wi-Fi hotspot.

[12] On-screen controls provide joystick-style movement, and other functions that allow pilots to perform aerobatics, play games, or update their drone's firmware.

[15] An augmented, multiplayer game that allows pilots to engage a human target with virtual weapons within a 3D space.

[17] Due to this open platform, affordability, and wide range of onboard sensory equipment, the AR.Drone is becoming an increasingly popular tool in research and education.

[24] Research in these areas has resulted in third-party applications being released, some open source, that extend the official capabilities of the drone.

In France, the AR.Drone 2.0 was tested by a Special Operations unit for aerial reconnaissance,[25] whilst other companies have been developing software that allows the drone to track sports activities,[26] and generate training feedback.

[27] An AR.Drone was used by Tim Pool during the Occupy Wall Street protest, running modified software that allowed it to stream directly to an internet channel.

He theorised that a chain of command could be set up, where multiple people could step up and take control should the primary operator be detained by police.

Although the technology required to feed and record live video taken from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) existed before the release of the AR.Drone was not widely available to members of the public.

In Germany, consumer affairs minister Ilse Aigner described the drone as a privacy threat, and called for restrictions to be placed on the use of cameras mounted on aerial platforms.

[35] A UK advertising campaign, showing an AR.Drone being flown into the grounds of Buckingham Palace was withdrawn after concerns that it was demonstrating illegal use of the drone.