US autonomous drone manufacturer Skyfish announced a technology partnership with electronics giant Sony to enhance photogrammetry and digital twin technology.
Sony supplies Skyfish with Alpha series mirrorless cameras that enable high-quality data surveys with drones as part of the partnership. The Skyfish produced, Alpha camera-ready drones enable individuals or firms to capture precise photogrammetry data to create digital twins of an outdoor area or structure.
Dr Orest Pilskalns, the CEO of Skyfish, said,
“We appreciate the close working relationship and deep technical integration of Sony’s Alpha series cameras.”
Skyfish Drones Powered by Sony
Operators can manage Skyfish drones on the go, permitting an operator to change camera settings such as ISO, shutter speed, EVO, and zoom mid-flight to capture high-quality photogrammetry data uninterrupted by outdoor conditions.
Individuals can then store and share drone data, in various digital formats, across a workforce for review. The Montana-based firm accommodates this with Skyportal to facilitate secure transfers of drone-captured data.
Skyportal, powered by Amazon Web Services, provides cloud storage for Internet of Things (IoT) data, including 3D assets.
According to the US manufacturer, Alpha-ready Skyfish drones can record digital twin data with vast levels of accuracy within 1/32 of an inch.
The Skyfish partnership allows Sony to expand into the commercial inspection and mapping sectors, which John Monti, Director Industrial Camera Solutions at Sony Electronics, said demand for solutions was “booming.”
He also added:
“With the integration of Sony Alpha cameras, the engineering-grade photogrammetry platform from Skyfish sets the market-tested standard for 3D modelling, inspection, measurement and analysis of critical infrastructure”
The news comes after UK drone manufacturer Heliguys and commercial drone provider RUAS partnered last month to digitised British Sculptor Antony Gormley’s famed Angel of the North statue in Gateshead, England.
The team captured roughly 2,000 ariel images of the structure to create an accurate digital twin as part of an ongoing national survey to preserve iconic UK landmarks digitally.
Sonys Increasing XR Presence
The news comes as Sony aims to increase its presence in the extended reality (XR) and Metaverse market following the ongoing success of the PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset for home console gaming. The firm has begun stepping into new use cases for its VR hardware via similar partnerships.
Last month, Sony also debuted Sword Art Online, a Metaverse platform that hosts diverse entertainment selections, including live concerts, events, and e-commerce opportunities.
Sony’s California-based Innovation Studios is creating various next-gen immersive solutions. For example, the studio designed Atom View, a capture tool that enables volumetric video recording and editing for broadcasting, immersive experiences, and gaming sectors.
Additionally, the developments come after Simon Benson, a former Director of Immersive Technology Groups at Sony, left the firm in June last year to join Unity and lead a training programme at the Unity Centre of Excellence, Salford.
