Sony is entering the drone game

Sony DTOE-1

Sony is jumping into the drone business, but its foray into the market might not be what you expect.

It was only a matter of time before the tech giant got into the business of drones. Last month, Sony Mobile announced that it would be teaming up with a Japanese robotics firm called ZMP to form a new company named Aerosense.

The teamup is pretty straightforward. ZMP provides the automation and robotics development while Sony provides its expertise in imaging and telecommunications. However, if you are expecting a Sony equivalent to DJIs' Phantom or Inspire series of multi-rotor platforms, you will be disappointed.

Instead, the new venture is aimed at enterprise applications for aerial surveying and inspection. It is planned that the new services will be rolled out in 2016.

The new development is indicative of the way the world is moving, but could also be of concern to independent operators who currently specialise in these fields. Could most of the big name contracts for surveying and inspection services be swept up by Sony, leaving only lower end applications for the independents? After all, it would be difficult to argue with the reliability of such a star company team-up.

The full press release can be read HERE.

Sony has just unveiled the first prototypes of the drones, the DTO1-E and the AS-MC01-P. It has to be said that the performance is quite incredible with a VTOL version being capable of over 100mph, as well as long distance flight.

I, for one, will be watching this development with close interest!