NEXT DELIVERY Conducts Drone Delivery of Supplies to Isolated Areas Affected by the Noto Heavy Rain Disaster

In response to the torrential rain disaster that struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture from September 21 to 23, 2024, NEXT DELIVERY Inc. (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; Representative Director: Keisuke Toji; hereinafter “NEXT DELIVERY”) participated in the activities of the General Incorporated Association Japan UAS Industrial Development Association (JUIDA) (Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President: Shinji Suzuki; hereinafter “JUIDA”) from September 24th, and conducted a drone-based goods transport in Wajima City. NEXT DELIVERY has been transporting medical supplies to isolated villages in the area affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred in January this year, and this is the second time NEXT DELIVERY has been involved in activities in disaster-affected areas.

The NEXT DELIVERY Flight Team was the first drone-related business to arrive on site on September 24, bringing two AirTruck logistics drones, one each from Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture and Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture, where drone deliveries are operated on a daily basis using the new Smart Logistics SkyHub^®. On the ground, in collaboration with JUIDA and the Self-Defense Forces, NEXT DELIVERY identified isolated villages and routes that needed supplies, and the demand for such supplies, and after conducting a flight test, on the 27th we transported supplies such as bread, pre-cooked rice, and beverages from Unui Fishing Port, which is about 2.5km away, to an isolated community center in Shimoyamamachi, Wajima City, a journey that took 25 minutes each way.

NEXT DELIVERY is currently constructing and implementing the societal implementation of SkyHub^®, a new regional logistics infrastructure that combines drone delivery and land transport, at 10 locations nationwide (as of the end of September 2024). By introducing new smart logistics as a regional logistics infrastructure in non-emergency times, we can also work in parallel on activities that will serve as a phase-free disaster logistics countermeasure that will transition to an emergency logistics platform in the event of an emergency. For this effort, the know-how and experience of those activities were put to good use in the swift implementation of support activities in the disaster-stricken areas.

While the signal was poor near the landing point (Shimoyama meeting place), and there was a situation where the signal was cut off, in addition to difficulty seeing remotly via screen, we were able to complete the delivery of supplies safely. This confimred that NEXT DELIVERY’s daily experiences and accumluated know-how through nationwide operations of new smart logistics SkyHub^® was a factor in the success of this mission.

NEXT DELIVERY will continue to utilize drones as a means of transport by air, combining our experience and technological capabilities gained through repeated operations in various parts of Japan, and will continue to contribute to rapid and accurate disaster relief activities in the event of an emergency.

Reference

*1 Dedicated Logistics Drone AirTruck
AirTruck, the first mass-produced logistics drone developed in Japan by Aeronext, a next-generation drone technology startup, in collaboration with ACSL, achieves stable flight with Aeronext’s proprietary 4D GRAVITY^®*2 airframe structure design technology. AirTruck is a dedicated logistics drone that goes “faster, farther, and is more stable” with enhanced for logistics, specialized for forward motion, and aerodynamic characteristics required for long-distance flight. In Japan, it has a proven track record of flights in various regions where it has been implemented and tested. Overseas, it has flown in Mongolia (November 2023) at an altitude of 1,300 m and an outside temperature of -15°C.

*2 Airframe structural design technology 4D GRAVITY^®
Airframe structure design technology developed by Aeronext optimizes aerodynamic characteristics by equalizing motor speed regardless of attitude, condition, or movement during flight and controlling lift, drag, and fuselage center of gravity based on fuselage shape and structure to improve the basic performance of industrial drones, such as stability, efficiency, and mobility, and the transportation performance of drones dedicated to logistics. Aeronext has patented this technology and manages it as part of the 4D GRAVITY^® patent portfolio. 4D GRAVITY^® improves basic performance and opens up new markets and applications for industrial drones.

【About NEXT DELIVERY】
A strategic subsidiary of Aeronext, whose main business is drone delivery, established in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture in 2021 based on the Aeronext Group’s mission, “A new societal infrastructure for the 100-year life era, a world where enrichment is spread to every corner of the world.” Aeronext and Seino HD jointly develop and deploy SkyHub^®, a new smart logistics system that connects existing logistics and drone logistics to create a new societal infrastructure. We are also developing related businesses such as development, sales, operation, and maintenance of both hardware and software related to integrated delivery and drone delivery. Starting with Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture, we are working to improve the efficiency of regional logistics and address regional issues throughout Japan, including Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido, and Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture.
*For more information: https://nextdelivery.aeronext.co.jp/

*Aeronext, the Aeronext logo, and NEXT DELIVERY, as well as “4D GRAVITY^®” “SkyHub^®“ are trademarks of Aeronext Inc.
*Other company names and product/service names mentioned in this press release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.