After revealing some concerning figures in the market share, Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony has decided to participate and contribute to the advancement of the emerging drone industry, announcing two new prototypes.
Signing a development partnership with Aerosense, a Tokyo robotics company, Sony has shared with the public two videos of the models; one of them shows the enterprise drone AS-DTO1-E taking off and landing vertically, something very similar to the way an aeroplane usually performs; the other one presents the AS-MCO1-P prototype, a small quadcopter that doesn’t stretch out of the way conventional drones operate.
Both drones have impressive characteristics; once airborne, the AS-DTO1-E can reach the speed of roughly 106mph and can become a carrier for items weighing up to 22 pounds. Plenty of applications can be found for this little guy, such as reaching remote areas and delivering medical supplies in emergency situations.
As for the AS-MCO1-P quadcopter, its size is significantly smaller and the whole concept resulted in a lighter device, making it the perfect gadget for hobbyists or drone enthusiasts. The company revealed the drone can be equipped with GPS, a navigations system and a camera.
Drone usage and delivery has been significantly pioneered by major tech players, such as Amazon and Facebook. It’s not long now until some of the more developed countries like Ireland and Canada will gear up and take the drone innovation to a whole new level.
Only last week has Ireland’s Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe TD said that the country is preparing to be a “leading hub for drone development.” His statements were recorded during the inaugural ‘Meet the Drones’ open day, an event supported and organized by the Unmanned Aircraft Association of Ireland (UAAI).
Mr. Paschal Donohoe added that privacy rules will have to be updated in order to handle the arrival of drones in Irish airspace, but drones usage is going to increase exponentially in the near future. The Republic of Ireland already boasts with more than 4,000 drone pilots, 80 of whom are also formally licensed.
Image Source: Mobile Geeks