Conducting drone track inspection experiments in urban areas

Inspection aircraft used for track inspection PD4X

On November 17, 2021, PRODRONE Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as PRODRONE), together with Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya Railway Co., Ltd., KDDI Corporation, and Nakanippon Airlines Co., Ltd., conducted a track inspection (hereinafter referred to as this experiment) using a drone on the Meitetsu Chikko Line in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, in preparation for a disaster. This is the first attempt to use a drone to inspect railway tracks in an urban area. In this experiment, we made a round trip on the Meitetsu Chikko Line between Oe Station and Higashi-Nagoyako Station (approximately 1.3 km) in about 10 minutes. For the inspection, the drone was flown twice in preparation for a disaster.The first time, the drone was flown automatically from takeoff to landing. On the second flight, after automatically navigating to the obstacles found during the first flight, the aircraft switched to manual mode and inspected the obstacles according to the instructions of the staff. Up until now, track conditions have been visually inspected by trial vehicles and staff after a disaster occurs, but if drones can be used for this initial confirmation work, we can expect to be able to respond more quickly. PRODRONE will continue to develop drones that solve social problems.

Take off at Meitetsu Oe Station PD4X

Real-time monitoring with monitor

■About Prodrone Co., Ltd. Prodrone Co., Ltd. is a B2B company that manufactures industrial drones with the aim of ``aiming for the standard in the sky.'' We provide a one-stop service from aircraft development to control software development and flyer services. ~Bringing aircraft that can only be produced by PRODRONE to the world~ ■Inquiries regarding this matter: Prodrone Co., Ltd. E-mail: info-jp@prodrone.com Person in charge: Public Relations G Kawakami TEL: 052-890-8803