NodeCopter.js was a full day event where 60 developers got together into 20 teams of 3.

Each team received one Parrot AR Drone 2.0 and spend the day programming (JavaScript) and playing with it. At the end of the day, each team got to present their work to the other attendees.

As we (well, most of us probably) already know the AR Drone is an affordable, yet surprisingly capable quadcopter. The drone itself runs a proprietary firmware that can be controlled via WiFi using the official FreeFlight mobile app (available for iOS and Android).

Unlike the firmware, the client protocol is open, and Parrot publishes an SDK (signup required to download) including a good amount of documentation and C code. Their target audience seems to be mobile developers who can use this SDK to create games and other apps for people to have more fun with their drones.

However, the protocol can also be used to receive video and sensor data, enabling developers to write autonomous programs for the upcoming robot revolution.

This module is still under heavy development, so please don't be suprised if you find some functionality missing or undocumented.

However, the documented parts are tested and should work well for most parts.

For more information, I suggest you to go to http://nodecopter.com/ as a starting point.