Sony unveils drone prototype that looks like a miniature airplane

Sony partnered with an autopilot startup called ZMP to form Aerosense, and the new company didn’t exactly go reinventing the aircraft: It looks like a miniature airplane.

Drones drew scrutiny in Japan when an anti-nuclear power protester used one to deliver a payload of radioactive material to the roof of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s office in April. The Japanese company is planning to target enterprise customers with its drones. Sony hopes that adding its smartphone tech will “give Aerosense an edge”, the article noted. The large propellers have been placed in the middle of the U-shaped drone making it somewhat different from the rest of the existing models.

“It’s possible that future growth in smartphones could be limited, so we have to engage and invest in new business opportunities”, said Hiroki Totoki, head of Sony Mobile Communications.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the drones are expected to carry items weighing up to 22 pounds, and fly for over two hours at a maximum speed of 106 miles per hour. The joint venture’s specialization is “image capture combined with cloud-based data processing” through unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.

In addition to the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) craft hinted at last month, Aerosense on Monday exhibited a quadcopter that makes use of Sony’s lens-type camera, the QX30. It is much smaller and lighter than the other prototype and is equipped with a camera, navigation system and GPS.

Sony Mobile and ZMP announced their joint venture in Aerosense earlier in 2015. Hisashi Taniguchi, himself, has expressed the great confidence he takes in Sony’s new project.