JUIDA NEWSLETTER 26th June, 2024

  • June 28, 2024
TOP NEWS

 

 

JUIDA to establish new “Model-Specific Drone Pilot Skills and Operation Certificate”

 

On June 5, 2024, JUIDA and Blue Innovation, ACSL, Eams Robotics, Liberaware, and Prodrone, signed a strategic partnership MOU to establish a new “Model-Specific Drone Pilot Skills and Operation Certificate” that objectively evaluates and certifies that drone pilots have the piloting skills and safe operation skills for each model of drone sold in Japan. Domestic agents of several overseas drone manufacturers have also announced their participation in this initiative, and they will work together to standardize safety, establish an objective evaluation system, create new business opportunities, and improve the reliability of the industry.

 

Japanese page https://uas-japan.org/information/information-32578/

 

 

ShinMaywa Industries: Participating in Cabinet Office-led project to develop unmanned flying boats

 

On April 25, 2024, ShinMaywa Industries announced that it has decided to participate in the “Economic Security Key Technology Development Program (K Program),” which was established under the initiative of the Cabinet Office. The project is to “build a marine observation, monitoring and investigation system using unmanned aerial and sea vehicles,” and was proposed jointly by IDEA and the National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology. The implementation period will run from 2024 to 2028. ShinMaywa Industries has been working on the development of an unmanned amphibian as part of a transportation system that will transport, launch, and retrieve an AUV capable of automatic deployment and retrieval to the research area.

 

Japanese page https://www.shinmaywa.co.jp/products/aircraft/news/20240425_1.html

 

 

NEXT DELIVERY: Realization of multi-aircraft operation by the end of the year

 

 

On May 21, 2024, NEXT DELIVERY announced that it will realize the practical operation of a system in which one remote pilot can operate and monitor multiple aircraft by December 2024. As of May 17, the company boasts a track record of 1,960 total flights, including 252 level 3.5 flights by remote pilots who are Class 2 UAV pilots (visual line of sight restriction lifted) or higher. In May, the company conducted a drone delivery demo flight in Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido, using the AirTruck, a drone dedicated to logistics, where one pilot operated and monitored two aircraft, and began test operations toward the realization of the operation and monitoring of multiple aircraft. The company aims to realize a system in which one pilot operates five aircraft by December, which is expected to improve operational efficiency, reduce operating costs, and accelerate the commercialization of drone delivery.

 

Japanese page https://aeronext.co.jp/news/multi-aircraft/

 

 

JFE Steel Corporation and others: Development of a highly sensitive portable laser carbon monoxide detector that can be mounted on drones

 

On May 14, 2024, JFE Steel (JFE), Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions (TGES), and Gastar announced that they have developed the world’s first highly sensitive portable laser carbon monoxide detector that can instantly detect carbon monoxide remotely. Steelworks routinely inspect a huge amount of piping equipment according to the properties of the gas and its location, but efficient inspections are difficult, and an inspection method that makes the work easier was needed.

This detector applies the technology of a reflective laser methane detector that utilizes the infrared absorption phenomenon that TGES has already put into practical use, and uses a laser with a wavelength of 2.3μm, which is optimal for detecting carbon monoxide, to achieve highly sensitive remote detection of carbon monoxide. The detector will first be introduced at JFE’s steelworks to confirm the usability and needs on-site, and then consider drones and mobile robots. Going forward, the companies will continue to consider development toward mass production, aiming to start sales in 2025.

 

Japanese page https://www.jfe-steel.co.jp/release/2024/05/240514.html

 

 

University of Toyama and others: Wide-area aeromagnetic survey using a small fixed-wing drone in the Afar Depression, Ethiopia

 

On May 14, 2024, University of Toyama, Kyushu University, and Kyoto University announced that a research team from the universities, in cooperation with Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and the Ethiopian government’s Information Network and Security Agency, have conducted a wide-area aerial magnetic survey using a small fixed-wing drone developed by Kyushu University in the Afar Depression in northeastern Ethiopia. The survey, conducted in mid-November 2023, included five flights over a target area of approximately 50km x 50km, and reliable magnetic survey data was obtained on seven transects of 50km length and three transects of 20km length. The universities hope that this survey will provide new insights into the geo-electromagnetic underground structure and its formation pattern in the center of the Afar Depression, which is located at the plate spreading boundary.

 

Japanese page https://www.u-toyama.ac.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/20240514.pdf

 

 

Panasonic and others: Successful demonstration of 5G communications using 38GHz radio waves

 

On May 28, 2024, Panasonic Holdings, SKY Perfect JSAT, NTT Docomo, and the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) announced that they have successfully conducted a demonstration experiment of 5G communications in the 38GHz band at an altitude of approximately 4km using a small airplane (a Cessna) simulating a High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS). This was the world’s first attempt to demonstrate a backhaul line that supports information transmission between multiple wireless base stations and a core network, consisting of multiple links of airborne relays. Going forward, the companies plan to work on realizing a non-terrestrial network that connects different spaces in a multi-layered manner through a variety of communication platforms, including drones, HAPS, and satellites.

 

Japanese page https://news.panasonic.com/jp/press/jn240528-2

 

 

Mitsui Fudosan and the University of Tokyo: Elucidating the effectiveness of drone delivery within buildings using mathematical models

 

On May 22, 2024, Mitsui Fudosan and the University of Tokyo announced that they have devised a new delivery system that installs dedicated spaces within buildings such as high-rise apartment buildings where drones can fly vertically, and have demonstrated its effectiveness through mathematical model analysis. The companies have already filed a patent application for a system that delivers parcels using dedicated spaces and ports that allow vertical takeoff and landing installed on each floor of the apartment building. After examining the delivery performance under a hypothetical delivery process that includes attaching and detaching parcels, flying up and down, and battery replacement, they found that it is possible to deliver faster and more energy-efficiently than by elevator. They plan to conduct further verification using actual drones in the future.

 

Japanese page https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/corporate/news/2024/0522_02/

 

 

NTT Communications: Expanding the scope and applicability of LTE airspace plans

 

On May 15, 2024, NTT Communications announced that it will expand the scope and application of its LTE Sky Plan, Japan’s first LTE service in the air, which has been offered to unmanned aircraft such as drones since July 2021. This is based on the fact that deregulation of the Radio Law has made it possible to use mobile communications with simplified procedures in airspace above an altitude of 150 meters, and LTE can be used in the sky by inserting a SIM card into the aircraft or by installing an LTE-compatible device with a SIM card inserted in the aircraft. Since the mobile devices that are used daily can be used in the sky as they are, it is expected that voice and data communications from inside the aircraft, as well as control and monitoring of equipment installed on the aircraft, will become easier and more cost-effective.

 

Japanese page https://www.ntt.com/about-us/press-releases/news/article/2024/0515_2.html

 

 

FaroStar: Conducting demonstration experiment of drone detection system “Drone ID Tracker”

 

On May 16, 2024, FaroStar announced that it will conduct a demonstration experiment of the drone detection system “Drone ID Tracker (DIT)” in cooperation with Tokyu Resorts & Stay. In recent years, problems such as illegal flights and privacy violations have increased. These problems have been reported in various places, such as hot spring resorts, tower apartment buildings, near Self-Defense Force sites, and events. DIT aims to prevent unauthorized filming by illegal drone flights, and to enable rapid response by quickly detecting illegal drone flights and notifying relevant parties of the information. Specifically, drones flying in areas or at times when permission has not been granted will be defined as “illegal,” and information about illegal drones will be notified within the app. The period and location of the demonstration experiment will not be disclosed to conceal the installation of detectors from illegal drone operators.

 

Japanese page https://www.farostar.jp/archives/2524

 

 

NEDO: Starting development and demonstration of UAV technology for long-distance material transport

 

On May 22, 2024, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) announced that it will begin research and development into the development and demonstration of UAV technology for long-distance material transport as part of the government’s “Economic Security Key Technology Development Program (the K Program).” The goal is to establish UAV technology for long-distance material transport by developing component technologies such as a hybrid power system that can run on alternative fuels such as hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a high-output motor, and lightweight construction technology, and by conducting evaluation tests using a test aircraft that integrates these technologies.

Ultimately, the objective is to develop a VTOL UAV that can transport 30 to 50kg of material up to 1,000km. The aircraft is intended to be used for transporting materials between remote islands and offshore infrastructure, inspecting wide-area infrastructure facilities, searching for people in need of rescue, and investigating damage during disasters.

 

Japanese page https://www.nedo.go.jp/news/press/AA5_101745.html

 

Credit to: JUIDA

/ATOS and JUIDA ASSOCIATIONS have united their interests in the drone industry by signing                        a Memorandum of understanding and support in October, 2023/