Sony has finally unveiled its much-awaited prototype drones, the AS-DTO1-E and AS-MCO1-P, as it forays into the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) zone.
Aerosense, the company behind the drones (and a joint venture of Japanese robotics startup ZMP Inc. and Sony), on Aug. 24 released videos of the prototype drones flying, giving the public a glimpse into what the future is set to bring.
The UAVs are poised to gather mapping data and conduct surveys, among others. The first "measuring, surveying, observing, and inspecting" service from Aerosense is expected to make its way to consumers by 2016.
The venture is part of Sony's efforts to move beyond its core consumer products into enterprise markets. The company is looking at generating a revenue of $82.6 million in the next five years.
"By making it automated, drones will be considerably safer because many accidents today are caused by human errors," noted Hisashi Taniguchi, CEO of Aerosense and ZMP.
The AS-DT01-E from Aerosense weighs around 11 pounds and is reminiscent of a mini airplane. Measuring 2,200 × 1,600 × 600mm, the UAV can reach speeds of up to 106 mph. The drone is able to carry weights of up to 22 pounds and will be able to fly for two hours continuously on a fully charged battery. The camera for the drone has not been decided on by the company.
Sibling AS-MC01-P, on the other hand, is the lighter of the two since it weighs 4.4 pounds. The quadcopter measures 515 × 515 × 400mm and boasts Sony's QX30 lens camera. The camera is mounted underneath the quadcopter and is on a gimbal that pivots. The QX30 camera can be linked to a smartphone and bears some resemblance to a DSLR. The camera is able to take high-resolution images.
The quadcopter also has built-in GPS and Wi-Fi functionalities and can stay airborne for 20 minutes. The AS-MC01-P also has an inertial navigation system and, thanks to these capabilities, it is able to fly on its own in a preset area.
The drone uses Visual SLAM technology, along with its GPS location, to create 3D models of its surroundings as it passes by. TransferJet is used to transfer graphics from the camera wirelessly. 2D or 3D representations that can be viewed from several angles can then be created by Aerosense's cloud processing technology.
Check out the videos of the AS-DT01-E and AS-MC01-P in action:
