Next spring, Sony plans on launching its first aerial drone project.
The company isn’t revealing much about the “Airpeak” project, but the upcoming drone will focus on taking video photography, an area where Sony’s camera technology has long excelled.
Sony also released a teaser for the “Airpeak” project, which depicts a drone propeller spinning and about to take off.
“Airpeak will 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” the company wrote in Monday’s announcement.
Based on the wording, it sounds like Sony is targeting Airpeak for the enterprise sector and enthusiast video creators. We suspect the company also realized it was missing out on a major market as drone vendors such as DJI have been releasing drones capable of taking stunning 4K video from up in the above.
The upcoming project may build off a patent Sony filed a year go, which depicts a drone concept for a rudimentary-looking model that flies on four propellers. To control it, the owner can use a tablet, which displays the images from the drone’s camera.
In the meantime, Sony is indicating it’s going to recruit beta testers for Airpeak in the coming months. "Sony will continue to post project-related information and obtain feedback from drone users through co-creation activities to prepare for the launch of the project,” the company said in its announcement.
To get the Airpeak project off the ground, Sony also plans on recruiting partners.