A team of researchers and companies has conducted a trial automatic flight of a drone in a mountainous area in central Japan, aiming to realize parcel delivery services for remote locations, including islands, using such unmanned aircraft.
The test, conducted in the city of Ina, Nagano Prefecture, on Nov. 11, was designed to have the drone carry a parcel box and make a round trip between a post office and a michi no eki roadside rest area.
Although the flight was successful in the rehearsal, a problem occurred during the actual test, and it was cut short as a result. The team, including University of Tokyo researchers, Japan Post Co. and major mobile phone carrier NTT Docomo Inc., will conduct another round of the test around March next year.
The communities near the test site, facing a low birthrate and aging population, are a “microcosm of Japan,” Ina Mayor Takashi Shirotori said. “We have high hopes [for drone delivery], as we live in a mountainous area and therefore have difficulties moving and shopping,” he added.
Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory Ltd., led by renowned drone researcher Kenzo Nonami, professor emeritus at Chiba University, provided the drone for the experiment. Measuring 1.1 meters in diameter and weighing about 8 kilograms, the drone is capable of traveling long distances even amid harsh weather, according to the laboratory.
Researchers, including University of Tokyo Prof. Shinji Suzuki and Tokyo-based drone startup Blue Innovation Co., developed a square platform with sides measuring 3 meters for the aircraft to land precisely and safely on a targeted place.
The platform displays a complex pattern that the drone will scan with its camera, allowing it to land within an error range of a few dozen centimeters. The platform is also equipped with a sensor to detect people and animals coming close to the device, as well as an anemometer.
In the test, the drone, carrying the box containing an order form, was slated to take off from the post office, fly automatically above the reservoir at an altitude of some 70 meters at a speed of about 40 kilometers per hour, and arrive at the area, which is 2.4 kilometers from the post office.
The drone was then scheduled to make a return flight to the post office after retort-pouched curry and rice were placed in the box.
Source: The Japan News