News
The Japanese operator has reportedly invested $64 million in drone start-up Skydio as part of the deal
This week, Japan’s KDDI has announced a new partnership with US-based drone specialist Skydio aiming to create a network of drone stations across the country to aid in disaster response.
The deal, which reportedly involves an investment of $64 million, will see KDDI deploy Skydio’s X10 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to around 1,000 locations. This will allow them to be launched rapidly in response to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, where they will help in search and rescue operations, as well as surveillance task and infrastructure inspections.
According to KDDI, the locations have been selected so that a drone can reach any location in the country within just 10 minutes.
The X10 drones are notably equipped with thermal imaging and night-vision capabilities, making them effective in any rescue scenario.
They will also use Skydio’s Visual Slam technology, onboard AI to enhance real-time spatial understanding and image processing. This will allow the drones to fly autonomously, automatically avoiding obstacles, even in the dark.
“The drones will be useful in finding survivors during disasters, as they can fly in the dark and are equipped with temperature sensors,” said Hiromichi Matsuda, KDDI’s managing executive officer.
Data gathered by the drones will be transmitted over KDDI’s infrastructure, including the company’s 5G network where possible, but also satellite.
Beyond disaster response, KDDI says they will also use the drones to support local governments and companies, helping to tackle issues like infrastructure inspection.
Keep up with all the latest telecoms news from around the world with Total Telecom’s daily newsletter
Also in the news:
UK government conditionally approves £15bn Vodafone–Three merger
Nokia and Vodafone trial Open RAN with Arm and HPE
T-Mobile and Verizon to buy US Cellular, reports say