Sony unveils Aerosense drone: Watch the drone prototype take flight for the first time
The world has been given a first glimpse of Sony’s future drone completing a vertical take-off, as Sony’s Aerosense unveils a prototype that shows the company’s shift from consumer to enterprise tech.
The drone looks cool, but this is no toy. Moving away from the consumer sphere, these plane-shaped drones are aimed at business use.
Flying at speeds of up to 170 kilometres per hour, these drones are expected to be able to carry 10kg objects for up to two hours at a time. The plan is to automate jobs that are currently done by humans, like inspections, measurement and surveying.
Hisashi Tanuguchi, the chief executive of Aerosense, said that this would reduce accidents:
By making it automated, drones will be considerably safer because many of accidents today are caused by human errors.
Drones are being used in a growing range of fields, including by tech companies like Amazon, which is looking into using them for package deliveries.
Aerosense is Sony’s joint-venture drone company, together with Japanese robotics firm ZMP Inc, which specialises in autopilot technology, while Sony brings camera and sensor expertise to the table.
The company hopes to have the first drones taking off to the market in 2016.