Sony Mobile enters joint venture for business drones

Sony Mobile establishes a joint venture for business drones with ZMP. Sony Mobile will supply the camera, sensors and telecommunications technology for the drones, among other things. The company is thinking of applications in the field of the Internet of Things.

At the beginning of August, the joint venture ‘Aerosense’ should be a fact, with Sony Mobile getting a little more than 50 percent and ZMP a little less. ZMP is a company that produces robots and also works on autonomous driving vehicles. Sony has already invested in the company in the past. ZMP now wants to use the knowledge gained with automated driving for unmanned aircraft.

The first business drone services should be rolled out in early 2016. The drones must then be used for, among other things, measuring, researching, observing and inspecting, Sony writes. The market for drones and associated services is expected to grow significantly. Drones are increasingly being used for, among other things, inspection of infrastructure, in places that are difficult to reach in other ways.