Sony Airpeak (with an A7) withstands speeds "so powerful an average person would have trouble standing upright"
(Image credit: Sony)
Our latest look at the upcoming Sony Airpeak drone comes in the form of a new wind tunnel test, which saw the flying camera rig hold steady at speeds of up to 44mph / 71km/h – "a wind so powerful an average person would have trouble standing upright."
The Sony Airpeak was being tested at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, while carrying an unidentified Sony A7 full-frame mirrorless camera, to analyze its drone propulsion system.
"Our goal here was to see how the drone could be affected by strong wind, and up to what wind speed the drone could endure," writes Sony on its Airpeak update page. Our test results showed that the prototype could maintain stable flight up to around 20m/s - a wind so powerful an average person would have trouble standing upright.
"A drone’s propulsion system, which mainly comprises the propellers, motors and ESC (Electric Speed Controller), is essential to maintaining stability in strong wind. Airpeak’s propulsion system is optimized to ensure stable flight even in strong winds and features an ESC designed for superior control, highly efficient and responsive 17-inch propellers, and lightweight, high-performance, high-power brushless motors."
Of course, the wind tunnel test is a privileged one since the airflow is both constant and only coming from a single direction; the true test will be how Airpeak responds to changing, turbulent airflow that comes from changing and multiple directions. Though 44mph wind resistance is nothing to be sniffed at!
The video also gave us a look at the true scale of the Airpeak system, with a shot of two engineers setting up the rig:
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(Image credit: Sony)
The Sony Airpeak drone ecosystem (for it is a "new business", rather than a specific or standalone product) was debuted at CES 2021 and announced with a spring launch date, so we should be seeing more details about the system soon.
James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes.
