Sony to Swoop Into Drone Market for Business Customers
New drone company will offer services such as inspecting infrastructure and surveying land
TOKYO— Sony Corp. is starting a drone subsidiary to serve business customers, a foray into a frontier already crowded with upstarts and technology giants.
Sony said Wednesday it plans to create a drone company called Aerosense in a joint venture with Tokyo startup ZMP Inc., which specializes in autopilot technology. Aerosense will offer services such as inspecting aged infrastructure and surveying land that is difficult for people to access.
Drones, or unmanned flying vehicles, have quickly become a top area of research for Internet and technology companies. Both Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc. are researching the use of drones for package delivery.
“We’re looking to explore new opportunities beyond our core consumer portfolio in enterprise markets,” said Hiroki Totoki, head of Sony’s smartphone unit, which is providing resources for the drone venture. “The key to driving growth in these areas will be adapting Sony’s innovation in various technologies,” including cameras and sensors, he said.
In Japan, drone technology has gained prominence recently, and not always in positive ways. A man was arrested in April after landing a drone containing trace amounts of radioactive material on the roof of the prime minister’s office. That prompted the government to consider tighter controls.
Aerosense devices will be equipped with Sony image sensors, a core product for the company used in Apple Inc. ’s iPhone and Samsung Electronic Co. ’s Galaxy. Sony is trying to expand applications for its cash cow, including medical uses.
A prototype of a drone that Sony Corp. and partner ZMP Inc. plan to create. ENLARGE
A prototype of a drone that Sony Corp. and partner ZMP Inc. plan to create. Photo: Sony Corp.
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Competitors to Sony’s drone business in Japan include Yamaha Motor Co. , which has long sold autonomously piloted helicopters for agricultural and other purposes. A startup based at Chiba University, Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory Ltd., has been making drones to inspect infrastructure including nuclear reactors in Fukushima damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Sony and ZMP will each own about half of the drone company. A Sony spokesman said it would sell services using drones but not the drones themselves.
The two earlier teamed up to develop technology for autonomous-driving cars. ZMP is also a partner with videogame company DeNA Co. in developing driverless taxis.
Aerosense is the latest effort by Sony to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit among its engineers after the company went through cutbacks and years of losses. Mr. Totoki, the smartphone unit chief, earlier started Sony’s Internet-banking unit and other entrepreneurial projects. He has said he wants to turn the smartphone group into a “launchpad” for business ideas. Sony has been pushing into service businesses, including real estate and education.