14 DAY TRIAL // The partnership between Sony and Japanese automation specialist ZMP has recently revealed the fruit of their collaboration in the shape of a drone called Aerosense.
The new flying project is the common endeavor of these two companies, and managed to show off its new VTOL capabilities yesterday while also operating at range and at high speeds, before attempting a controlled safe landing.
The recent trials are done as part of the aircraft's prototype phase. The device can already travel at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour and can carry weighs up to 22lbs, a pretty impressive weight considering this is, in fact, a drone and is apparently designed with commercial applications in mind.
Right now, the drone needs a human operator to achieve the biggest part of its flight pattern, but it seems Sony plans to upgrade the drone early flight program and remove the human element from taking off and landing the device. This way Sony wants companies possibly interested in operating the machine to program whatever flight patterns they want and have them carried out autonomously.
What's a bit curious about this device's development process is what features Sony plans to add as autonomous for the drone, things like measurement, surveying, observation and inspection. This isn't your casual consumer, commercial drone tech, more like military stuff. Although big corporations like Amazon might be interested in this device, for hauling stuff, the rest of the automation skill could actually help Sony get some nice and juicy military contracts without anyone knowing.
