Sony: Disassemble “Airpeak S1” (Part 1): Start level 4 in Japan
-All developed independently, realizing the ideal-
Sony Group:
The Sony Group has struck a challenge to the multicopter drone market.
Shipment of the first drone “Airpeak S1” began in mid-November 2021.
“Airpeak S1”
「Airpeak S1」
This drone with 4 rotors.
Sony full size mirrorless,
Equipped with a single-lens reflex camera “α series”,
Realized the world’s smallest aircraft.
Features of “Airpeak S1”:
The weight of the aircraft excluding the battery is about 3.1 kg,
The payload is 2.5kg including the gimbal,
The maximum takeoff weight is about 7 kg.
“Airpeak S1” users:
Developed for video creators.
You can shoot dynamic images like never before.
We also aim to develop industrial applications such as infrastructure inspections and surveying.
Achievement of high exercise performance:
The goal is to achieve high exercise performance compared to existing drones.
It takes 3.5 seconds from hovering to reaching a speed of 80km / h.
Maximum ascent / descent speed is 7m / s / 4m / s,
The maximum angular velocity is 180 ° / s, etc.
The response of ascending / descending and reversing is high.
Another feature:
You can fly stably even indoors or under a bridge where GNSS radio waves do not reach.
Equipped with many stereo cameras and sensors.
Estimate self-position / posture with high accuracy.
Recognize the surrounding space in real time.
Industry-leading position accuracy:
GNSS enabled,
When the vision position is valid,
The hovering accuracy is ± 10 cm horizontally and vertically.
Development of “Airpeak S1”:
Development started in the spring of 2018, and it took three years to complete.
Not to mention the aircraft design
Propellers and motors,
Processor, etc.
Many parts were developed in-house.
This is because commercially available parts cannot achieve the target performance.
“Level 4” started in Japan:
“Level 4” will start around December 2022.
The ban on non-visual flight over third parties, including urban areas, will be lifted.
It also supports the high growth of the market.
Carry out disassembly work:
-Late October 2021-
Disassembly was carried out at the Sony Group Headquarters in Minato Ward.
You can easily see it by looking at Figure 5, which lists the disassembled parts of the Airpeak S1.
Multicopter type like Airpeak S1
Compared to fixed-wing drones
The hardware configuration is simple,
The aircraft is easy to handle.
Implementation of in-house developed parts:
The first one,
I checked how many parts that Sony developed in-house are mounted.
This time, we developed the ESC (Electric Speed Controller) algorithm in-house (Fig. 6).
ESC (Electric Speed Controller):
Behind the achievement of high acceleration performance
Propeller that can produce high buoyancy at low rotation,
Lightweight and high torque brushless motor,
In addition, they are optimally controlled.
Implemented camera, sensor, processor:
The second is
I checked how many cameras, sensors, and processors are implemented.
Built-in sensing device:
5-way stereo camera:
Stereo cameras with a built-in CMOS image sensor are placed in 5 directions (front, back, left, right, bottom).
Built-in sensing device:
Inside,
It has many built-in IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), infrared ranging, geomagnetism, barometric pressure, temperature, GNSS receiver, etc.
Nikkei Cross Tech (xTECH)