Many mountainous areas are often out of cell-phone range, and rescues entail a great deal of time, labor and risk. In reality, a record 2,661 alpine accidents occurred in 2018, according to the National Police Agency.
In May, the Tottori prefectural police conducted a test flight of a satellite-piloted drone as part of its mountain rescue training. The rescue headquarters controlled its flight via a satellite link and retrieved locational information. Images collected by the drone are transmitted to the headquarters when direct communications become available. The drone also uses the global positioning system to pinpoint locations of rescue teams as well as technology to estimate the location of stranded or injured hikers based on their prior reports about their destination and route.
In the test flight, the headquarters coordinated the locations of both the drone and a rescue team. The drone's imaging found a hiker in need of help, which was reported to the nearest rescuers, leading to a swift and efficient rescue.
"Drones can provide locations [of stranded or injured hikers and rescuers]. They can become a reliable tool if put to practical use." a Tottori prefectural police official said.
A newly developed small satellite communications device mounted on the drone weighs about 1.5 kilograms, which is one-sixth the weight of an ordinary device. The drastic weight and size reduction has allowed the device to be mounted on drones. Since it can be used in commercial drones, the device is expected to be widely used, resulting in cost effectiveness down the road.
Tadahiro Iwasaki, manager of its developer, the Sky Perfect JSAT Corp.'s space project department, said, "We cut the sizes of the built-in antenna and battery by limiting the use of satellite communications to drone control and location to be able to reduce the size and weight of the device."
He said his team wants to update the technology to transmit images.
The device's codeveloper, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), is creating an environment where various types and applications of drones, including satellite communication drones, can be operated safely, hoping to commercialize it in the 2020s.
"The system may be used not only for rescue operations in mountainous areas but also in times of disasters when ground communications become difficult," said Kazuhiko Miyamoto, project manager of the NEDO's robot AI department.
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