Image: Drone path in the demonstration experiment
(Source: Seino Holdings)
Securing transportation for shopping and hospital visits is a major issue for elderly people living in areas with little public transportation. Drone delivery is expected to be one of the solutions. On February 8, 2023, Seino Holdings (Seino HD) and Aeronext conducted a drone delivery demonstration experiment in Annaka City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. It carried out a series of “chain drone delivery flights” connecting three locations in Annaka City, transporting agricultural products, box lunches and prescription drugs.
In the demonstration experiment, the former Kujuku Elementary School was used as the starting and ending point for drone departures and arrivals. First, we delivered vegetables from the former Kujuku Elementary School to the golf course. After that, it carried a bento box made with the delivered vegetables from the golf course to the hospital. From the hospital, it loaded up with medicine, groceries, and daily necessities and returned to the old Kujuku Elementary School. Prescription medicines for three people were prescribed by online medical consultation and online medication guidance in advance, and were delivered by drone in accordance with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Guidelines for Drug Delivery by Drone.
The drone flew at “Level 3”, which is a flight beyond visual line of sight in an uninhabited area with no residents or pedestrians. In addition to the chain drone delivery flight, multiple new trials such as mixed loading of prescription medicine and shopping agent products, cooperation of collection, processing, delivery and sales of direct from the farm are said to have been carried out.
The drone delivery demonstration was based on the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement for Building New Smart Logistics that Contributes to Solving Regional Issues by Utilizing Next-Generation Advanced Technologies, signed in October 2022 by Seino HD, Annaka City, and Aeronext. The airframe used for the demonstration experiment is the logistics drone “AirTruck” jointly developed by the drone manufacturer ACSL and the drone technology company Aeronext.
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