Sony Rushes Drone Announcement for Q2 2021; Will Use ‘AI Robotics’ or Something

Sony felt it necessary to stake out a claim to the drone space prior to a planned spring 2021 announcement. The teaser shows a 15-second YouTube clip displaying a render of a drone rotor, along with a new logotype with the sub-brand “Airpeak.”

Sony patents previously suggested the electronics giant eyed the drone space for years – romantically referring in those patent applications to “flying cameras.”

This pre-pre-announcement has a rushed feel to it, employing what appears to be machine English translation to a release that is missing a couple carriage returns. It mentions Sony will post more info on the teaser site and “obtain feedback from drone users through co-creation activities.” To that end, Sony “plans to begin seeking for the partners [sic] in the professional space who can collaborate on the project.”

A few buzzwords are included that may give some direction to product expectations. The site mentions industrial use and energy savings, which might imply an industrial remote sensing focus. It refers to 3R technologies (Reality, Real-time and Remote) and “AI Robotics.”

DJI, the current champion of drone manufacturers, has used a great deal of deep learning to enable drones to sense different types of obstacles and to help gain more accurate positional awareness. This is sometimes referred to as “AI” by manufacturer marketing departments. Sony’s use of the term is likely done in a similar vein, as it has one of the best deep learning systems for object identification and tracking in the camera industry.

The Japanese version of the site is a bit more lyrical, expressing in Sony’s native language a more creative purpose: to transform “the realm of the sky into an endless creative space from an unprecedented free perspective.”