In Japan, a shrinking rural population and dramatic landcape implies that some villages could also be difficult to achieve within the case of a disaster. NEXT DELIVERY has successfully conducted a 2 day demonstration of drone delivery for disaster response, bringing supplies to Kawanemoto Town, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Kawanemoto Town has a complete population of 6,014 (as of July 2023) and is positioned within the central a part of Shizuoka Prefecture. The towns natural geography contributes to transportation challenges within the region. The town area is long and narrow: about 23 km from east to west and about 40 km from north to south along the Oigawa River, with an area of 496.72 km² (6.4% of the prefecture’s total). 90% of the region is forested. With some villages removed from the town center, an aging population, and few roads, government agencies are concerned that natural disasters could block access for relief to those villages.
NEXT DELIVERY worked with government officials to know regional issues and discover any potential barriers to entry. On September 2, stakeholders engaged the community in a departure ceremony held through the Disaster Prevention Festival, and a drone delivery demonstration flight performed. “Within the demonstration flight, we conducted two flights to deliver a Kawane tea set (weighing about 2.1 kg) from the fundamental office constructing of the town hall where the disaster prevention festival is held to the riverbed (distance about 800 m, about 3 minutes) and the campsite (distance about 550 m, about 2 minutes),” said NEXT DELIVERY. “On September 3, within the event of an emergency, emergency food sets (weighing roughly 1.7 kg) were delivered using AirTruck 1, a logistics drone developed by Aeronext, to 2 villages (Orokubo area (distance approx. 3.7 km, approx. 10 minutes) and Ichimachi-Kawachi district (distance approx. 5.3 km, approx. 12 minutes)) which are expected to be isolated within the event of an emergency.”
Community members hope that drone delivery will help provide greater access to isolated communities outside of disaster response. Mr. Hamaya, the campsite manager who received the Kawane tea set by drone delivery on September 2, commented, “I hope that it might probably be used not only in times of disaster but additionally in normal times, equivalent to shopping support.”
Aeronext Co. and ACSL have jointly developed a mass-produced logistics drone from Japan, utilizing Aeronext’s unique 4D GRAVITY® 2 aircraft structure design technology. The GRAVITY 2 is a dedicated logistics aircraft, featuring one-way forward specialization designed for long-distance flight, with a mechanism that optimally places luggage near the best center of gravity of the aircraft and places the bags horizontally and on top and bottom. “The prototype has flown in demonstration tests throughout Japan and has the No. 1 flight record in Japan,” says the comapny announcement. “By optimizing aerodynamic characteristics by equalizing the rotation speed of the motor no matter attitude, condition, or movement during flight, and controlling lift, drag, and center of gravity based on the form and structure of the aircraft, Aeronext has developed an airframe structure design technology that improves the essential performance of business drones equivalent to stability, efficiency, and maneuverability, in addition to the transportation performance of drones dedicated to logistics.”
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