SoftBank, Hitachi and the Fukushima Innovation Coast Framework (FIPO) have conducted a drone trial with the aim of developing uncrewed flight routes along the coastline, Telecompaper reports. The demonstration was carried out near the coast in the city of Minamisoma with the cooperation of Hitachi, the city of Minamisoma, the Haramachi Thermal Power Station operated by Tohoku Electric Power and the Soma Futaba Fisheries Cooperative Association.
FIPO is a national project that aims to restore the industry lost in Hamadori and the neighbouring area during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster and build a new industrial base in the area.
The framework is working to develop drone flight routes in the Fukushima Innovation Coast region with the intention of building a logistics delivery network and coastal port facility inspections. The demonstration flights tested multi-use cases, in which the drones were used for various purposes from a single take-off and landing site along the coastal route.
These use cases included beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) autonomous patrol flights (for wind farms, solar panels, coastline and rivers), maritime monitoring, and delivery of goods. The project also examined the necessary requirements for operating drones along the coastline, pre-flight preparation needs for base operations and verification of flight conditions among other parameters.
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Image: FIPO
