- capable of taking off vertically and spying on those below it.

- created as part of a tie-up with robotics company ZMP

- the Aerosense venture combines Sony’s networking and sensing hardware with ZMP’s expertise to create the flying, watching robot

- Sony hopes that it can hire out the technology to companies, to let them perform surveillance and watch over people

- unlike classic drones, which use rotors in a quadcopter formation to fly up like a helicopter, the Aerosense project flies like a plane. That means that it can get further and faster, allowing companies to look down at much bigger areas

- Sony says it could be eventually used by companies for projects that could include architecture and civil engineering

- "By making them automated, drones will be considerably safer because many of accidents today are caused by human error,” Hisashi Taniguchi, chief executive of Aerosense and ZMP, said according to The Guardian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btT3_SR7rE0

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/sony-unveils-new-robot-plane-that-can-take-off-vertically-and-patrol-the-skies-10471130.html

Wow...that's one for the diverse line up books. Wasn't expecting that.

I heard Donald Trump bought 10 of them to patrol the border.

That looks (and sounds) more like what a pair of amateurs would build on their spare time than what a Co. like Sony would do. In any case...

You'd be surprised about how big the commercial and private drone market is by now, and how fast it's growing.

You may need a litte more than that

https://youtu.be/SNPJMk2fgJU?t=1m45s

noisy as f***.
No thanks make one thats near silent instead.

Drones are the new IT thing, like smartphones, and tables, and many other things before. Everybody wants one and everybody thinks that they will the solution to everything.

Time will prove if they were right or wrong.

What can I say? Russians...

Now look at this:

https://www.google.com.pr/search?q=HK-Aerial&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIkM3FhojFxwIVBBseCh19iAHA&biw=1366&bih=607

#SkynetUponUs

Sony's in the drone business now? With the way things are going, this is an oddly smart move by them lol