A drone patrols the beach in a test run of the new system. Photo: Blue Innovation Co. // YouTube
When the devastating 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami hit Japan, the city of Ichinomiya was hit hard. According to The Asahi Shimbun, 30 homes were inundated with water above floor level. However, in the aftermath of the disaster, authorities with the city were stumped with how to create a warning system to effectively disseminate information along its 4.7 miles of coastline. That’s where the drones came in.
As The Asahi Shimbun reports, Ichinomiya decided the solution to the problem was to create a drone-based disaster alert system. The system uses Japan’s existing national alert system, called J-Alert, which alerts citizens in the event of various crises, such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Tokyo-based Blue Innovation Co. was selected for the project, based on its previous experience creating a drone-based tsunami alert system in Sendai, Japan.
The drones are deployed from the rooftops of local buildings. Photo: Blue Innovation Co. // YouTube
Using a $275,000 USD budget, Blue Innovation Co. installed specialized drone stations on the rooftops of the municipal government office building and a local elementary school. When a tsunami warning is issued, two drones autonomously take off and patrol separate areas of the coastline, disseminating the information via loudspeaker. A successful test of the system was staged on May 20, during which a drone took off from the government office, flew up to a height of 25 meters and announced that a training exercise was in progress, before urging surfers and swimmers to evacuate to elevated land.
However, there are still some kinks to be worked out in the system. Many beachgoers were unable to hear the drone-issued warnings, due to ambient noise from waves and wind, leading Blue Innovation Co. CEO Takayuki Kumada to cede that there is still some room for improvement.
However, officials remain optimistic about the promise of the automated system. “Our service could help labor-strapped local governments as well as communities with increasingly aging populations,” added Kumada. “We will now work toward building and establishing unstaffed disaster mitigation infrastructure.”
