– Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. and Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate Co., Ltd. have opened the Itabashi Drone Field, the first drone demonstration experiment facility attached to a logistics facility in Tokyo, within the urban development logistics facility MFLP・LOGIFRONT Tokyo Itabashi, which was completed on October 2nd.
The facility will be supervised and operated by the Japan UAS Industry Promotion Council (JUIDA) and Blue Innovation Co., Ltd.
Although it is located within Tokyo’s 23 wards, Itabashi DF takes advantage of its vast site to provide a field for drone flights, an experimental site utilizing operational facilities, an R&D area available for lease to drone operators, and a community space for member business interaction.
Itabashi DF will provide a “place” for research, development, and demonstration experiments for drones for logistics delivery, inspection and security, and use in disaster situations, as well as a “member-only community” for business co-creation.
We will also build a collaborative system with various companies and organizations, including startups, academia, and public institutions, and support the social implementation of the developed technology. In addition to contributing to the industrial development of the drone industry as a whole, we aim to contribute to solving various social issues through drone technology, such as labor shortages caused by the “Logistics 2024 Problem” and measures against recent natural disasters.
Itabashi Drone Field Facility Overview
Itabashi DF is a rare place for drone technology experiments and research located within Tokyo’s 23 wards. It is equipped with a net field for drone flight, a rental R&D section for drone operators in part of the warehouse, and a co-working space for drone operators to interact and collaborate.
The site can be used as a place for research and experiments that meet real social needs, such as last-mile delivery by drones, transportation of relief supplies in the event of a disaster, and infrastructure inspection, by conducting experiments such as linking with AGVs (automated guided vehicles) and inspection and delivery using the installed drone port.
In addition, the KDDI Smart Drone Academy Tokyo Itabashi School, the first of its kind in Tokyo, will be opened, providing a place to train engineers and operators who will support the drone industry.
Promoting Open Innovation and Social Implementation in the Drone Industry
Against the backdrop of a shrinking working population due to an aging population and low birthrate, as well as a need to respond to a dramatic increase in the number of deliveries, drones are being rapidly adopted for infrastructure inspection, building management, surveying, disaster response, and other purposes as a means of automating and streamlining operations.
Two drone ports are installed on the rooftop that can be used for things like inspecting solar panels and delivering supplies in the event of a disaster
Itabashi DF aims to become a base for drones in the 23 wards of Tokyo for experiments and research, education and human resource development, and collaboration through collaboration with various companies and organizations such as startups, academia, and public institutions, based on the characteristics of an experimental field located near the city center.
Drone lounge (approx. 190 m2)
A place for drone operators to interact and collaborate. Equipped with a meeting space with a large monitor, it can also be used for business negotiations, seminars, networking events, etc.
In addition, it has lounges and conference rooms to promote corporate interaction, and a “membership community” will be opened today, October 2nd, to provide a “place” and “community” for business co-creation. In addition to solving labor shortages such as the “Logistics 2024 Problem,” the utilization of drones to solve various social issues such as the increased burden of infrastructure maintenance and management, and the increased response load during natural disasters will support the social implementation of new technologies developed at Itabashi DF, and contribute to the industrial development of the entire drone industry.
There are five netted courts, and no flight application is required. The netted field for drones is approximately 14m high and is suitable for national qualification training exams
The aim is for the technologies whose usefulness has been verified at Itabashi DF to be adapted for use in a variety of fields, including solving local issues, reducing the labor force, improving efficiency, automating operations, and for use in disaster situations.
Introduction of Collaborative Partners
Blue Innovation Co., Ltd.
This facility is located in an urban area within an operating facility, providing an environment in which operational verification and commercialization verification can be carried out in a one-stop manner in preparation for social implementation. As a drone and robot system platform provider, we will utilize this facility to promote the operation and training of drones for social implementation, commercialization verification, training of highly skilled drone pilots, and the development of new solutions through industry-academia-government collaboration and collaboration between multiple industries, thereby contributing to industrial development.
Japan UAS Industry Promotion Council
In the future, this facility is expected to become an important base supporting the future development of drone technology as a key part of the logistics network connecting urban and regional areas. With the lifting of the ban on “Level 4” and “Level 3.5,” the use of drones in urban areas is expected to expand, and it is believed that demonstration experiments based on industrial needs and the realization of efficient logistics will progress rapidly. JUIDA hopes to contribute to the development of the drone industry as a whole by further collecting diverse data and cultivating highly skilled personnel.
KDDI Smart Drone Inc.
The “KDDI Smart Drone Academy Tokyo Itabashi School”, which will open within the Itabashi Drone Field, will be the first KDDI Smart Drone Academy academy in Tokyo and will offer courses to acquire national qualifications (first and second class unmanned aerial vehicle pilots), as well as specialized courses that utilize the drone inspection simulation facilities at the Itabashi Drone Field. A fully automated port-equipped drone will be placed on the rooftop to exhibit and demonstrate the latest drone technology, and through open innovation through co-creation and collaboration with various businesses, the school will create, develop and implement the drone industry in society.
University of Tokyo, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Tsuchiya Laboratory
As drone research advances further through the utilization of the Itabashi Drone Field, it will become commonplace for many drones to fly close to people for indoor and outdoor logistics and infrastructure inspections, bringing about major changes in our society. We hope to take advantage of this valuable demonstration and implementation experiment field to advance many research projects.
About MFLP/LOGIFRONT Tokyo Itabashi
Mitsui Fudosan x Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate Completes Construction of “MFLP LOGIFRONT Tokyo Itabashi”, Tokyo’s Largest Urban Development-Style Logistics Facility. With a rare location and top-notch facility specifications, it will become a hub for logistics, local community, and industrial creation.
Source: MITSUI FUDOSAN