Sony unveils new robot plane that can take off vertically and patrol the skies

Called Aerosense, the technology will be hired out to companies to let them perform surveillance and reconnaissance

Sony has unveiled a new flying robot, 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.

The company 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 that the technology could eventually be used by companies to evaluate projects including architecture and civil engineering, or create maps.

The company also hopes that it is a safe way of gathering data from the air.

““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.

But drones have also proved a controversial technology, with experts bringing attention to privacy and safety concerns.