Sony has updated the development status of its upcoming drone, Airpeak. According to the update, Airpeak is going to be focused on autonomous flighting which is based on sensing and AI robotics technology. Read Sony’s statement below.
Airpeak: “Drone system designed with professional filming in mind”
Sony’s drone, Airpeak, was presented at the beginning of the year, as “The world’s smallest drone to carry an Alpha camera system”. According to Sony, the Airpeak brand was invented to “support the creativity of video creators to the fullest extent possible, aiming to contribute to the further development of the entertainment industry as well as to improved efficiency and savings in various industries”. As for now, Sony has released a statement regarding the development status of the drone.
Sony is still developing the drone
As mentioned in the statement, Sony is combining its expertise in imaging, sensing, and AI robotics technology in its continuous development of Airpeak. “At CES 2021, Airpeak was unveiled as a drone system designed with professional filming in mind. From the perspective of “imaging,” by using the high-speed aerial tracking of Airpeak, equipped with the α7S III and FE 24mm F1.4 GM, we could capture a road test of a prototype of VISION-S (electric vehicle under development) to produce a dynamic piece of video footage” Sony states.
Sensing, robotic, and AI technologies
As stated by Sony: “We could create this video not only because of the high-speed aerial capability but also the ability to detect the surroundings in real-time while also maintaining flight stability. The technology used here, the “Sensing” of surroundings, and the “Robotics” function of moving in accordance with those surroundings, is the same technology used in VISION-S, Airpeak, and entertainment robot, aibo. Each of these has its own specifications, but all use autonomous controls to sense obstacles and stop or avoid them. Such “Sensing” and “Robotics” are used in our development testing, and we were able to share some of that with the video shown at CES 2021.
We are aiming for a high level of wind resistance as we continue developing Airpeak’s frame. We plan to share video footage from that test at a later date.
Sony
Development status
As stated by Sony: “Moving on to development updates, we are currently in the process of conducting various field tests and evaluations. The Austrian mountains shown in the CES 2021 video were covered in snow, and the test course was thick with fog. These conditions were actually a lucky accident, and not something we had planned for, but it has meant that we can go on to test the accuracy of Airpeak’s sensing and control functions in various different weather conditions. We also recently visited the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to test wind resistance, using a prototype. We are aiming for a high level of wind resistance as we continue developing Airpeak’s frame. We plan to share video footage from that test at a later date.
Moving on to development updates, we are currently in the process of conducting various field tests and evaluations.
Sony
Summary
It looks like Sony is carefully and meticulously developing its drone which, most probably will be based on AI, robotic, and sensing technologies. Although it looks like an industrial drone, Sony has never admitted that. Will it be the first professional filmmaking autonomous-drone?
