A VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) plane and a quadcopter are the first signs of the partnership announced by Sony Mobile and robotics firm ZMP one month ago. Two videos uploaded to YouTube by ZMP on the Aerosense page show both prototypes during flight.
The AS-DT01-E is the expected miniature airplane with VTOL capability hinted at when the creation of the new company, Aerosense, was announced. The model airplane can reach 170 kilometres per hour, making it faster than most drones available in the market today. The prototype shown did not have a camera, but the quadcopter was equipped with a Sony DSC-QX30.
The DSC-QX30 is what the market calls a lens style camera, a small package able to capture 18MP photos and Full HD 60fps video. With a zoom lens covering 26.5-1080mm for 16:9 video – that’s a 30x optical zoom – the QX30 weighs 193 with battery and memory card, making it an ideal camera for aerial video, as it offers image stabilization and the option to connect with a Smartphone.
With the small camera attached, the AS-MC01-P quadcopter is ready for surveillance, a task that fits into the business outline defined by Aerosense: development, manufacture, and sale of enterprise solutions using autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles for image capture combined with cloud-based data processing. Aerosense, Inc. aims to develop comprehensive solutions that meet needs including measuring, surveying, observing, and inspecting, states the document available from the company.
Still, with Sony so much involved with the worlds of video and photography, it is difficult to believe that both the VTOL plane and the quadcopter will only be used for aerial surveying.