On Monday, Sony released video footage of a drone prototype of a camera shaped like an airplane borne out of its relationship with ZMP, which can take off and land vertically and fly for more than two hours at a maximum speed of 106 miles an hour and it can carry weights up to 22 pounds making it world’s fastest drone.
The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is capable of flying further and faster than traditional drones, in part because it flies like a plane. The drone uses rotors arranged in quadcopter formation to fly upwards like a helicopter. However, the primary use of the drones will be to capture images from the sky, process these images in the cloud, and provide a range of services to businesses such as measuring, surveying, observing and inspecting. Sony’s drone-as-a-service hopes to crack the market, competing with Japanese rivals Yamaha and companies such as Australian firm Flirtey on the global stage. Hisashi Taniguchi, chief executive of Aerosense and ZMP, said: “By making them automated, drones will be considerably safer because many of accidents today are caused by human error.” Since the sensors and technologies needed to sustain stable flight have become cheaper, drones are predicted to be one of the growth areas in electronics, making them a feasible device for both business and consumer products. The television and film industries have adopted large civil drones capable of carrying high-powered photography and video equipment to produce aerial and floating action shots within their controlled environments. According to Taniguchi, ZMP is aiming for $82.6 million in revenue by 2020. While the drone is indeed awesome, it’s not the first modern technology idea to be put forward for UAVs. In fact, recently Boeing has patented a drone that would be capable of turning into a submarine.
