Sony reveals design and release schedule for its Airpeak drone

Sony initially announced Airpeak, its entry into drones, at the end of last year. Today, as part of its announcements at CES, the company revealed a few more details – what the drone looks like.

Very little information has been provided on how the drone works, with Sony instead focusing on demonstrating what we can expect when it comes to the design and build of Airpeak (although no details on its size. or its weight has been provided). The drone features a rectangular central body with a gimbal that hangs below where the Sony Alpha camera is located. The legs fold upwards after the drone takes off to give the camera the ability to rotate 360 ​​degrees in flight without obstruction. The drone is a quadcopter design and each of the arms which contains a motor and rotor appear to be made of carbon fiber.

In a video posted to Twitter and in the image below, a stand-alone rotating camera is shown along with what appear to be two other cameras in a bar on both the front and back (they could also be sensors), which probably indicates that it is being used for in-flight navigation while a second operator can concentrate on filming. This reflects the design of the latest DJI Inspire.

Airpeak will officially launch in spring 2021.

“Sony launched the Airpeak brand with the aim of further developing today’s drone technology while achieving maximum value creation,” the company says on its official website. “As part of the first phase of this project, Sony will launch a new targeted business for professional photography and video production in spring 2021.”

The video below gives a long, detailed look at how the drone takes off and operates in flight.

Sony specifically states that the drone will support Sony Alpha cameras, but has not said anything about other camera models.

“In order to fully support the creativity of video makers, the drone’s payload can be fitted with a mirrorless Alpha camera to capture high-quality full-frame aerial photographs and videos,” Sony writes. “Airpeak, the smallest class of drone in the industry that can be equipped with the Alpha System, is capable of dynamic filming and precise and stable flight, and aims to contribute to the world of entertainment while pursuing new possibilities of creative expression. .

Sony posted some images of the drone on their website with these videos:

It should be noted that hardly any cables are visible connecting the Alpha camera to the drone, which suggests that the connectivity can be compact and unobtrusive, which is always a plus.

It’s unclear if Sony has other plans to explain more about Airpeak at CES or if it will wait to reveal more as the launch date draws closer.

(via DPReview)