NEXT DELIVERY Inc. (Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; Representative Director: Keisuke Toji; hereinafter “NEXT DELIVERY”) is pleased to announce that it has been appointed as a member of the “Advisory Board for the Commercialization of Unmanned Aircraft Systems” established by Japan Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as a forum for exchanging opinions regarding the regulations with business drone operators in order to promote businesses using unmanned aircraft.

AirTruck*1, a dedicated logistics drone operated nationwide by NEXT DELIVERY

NEXT DELIVERY implements SkyHub®, a hybrid drone and land transport logistics system, nationwide

Prior to this, NEXT DELIVERY has been instructed by the Prime Minister at the first Digital Administrative and Financial Reform Conference held on October 11, to participate in regulatory reform activities related to unmanned aerial vehicles, such as participating as a speaker in the Startup and Investment Working Group of the Council for Regulatory Reform held on November 17, where we presented our specific recommendations and opinions.
NEXT DELIVERY Inc. and its parent company, Aeronext Inc., as well as Seino Holdings Co., Ltd. are jointly developing new smart logistics*3 SkyHub®*4 that integrates drone delivery and land transportation to address regional issues throughout Japan and is already in the societal implementation phase in nine municipalities*5 nationwide, including Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido. We will continue to actively participate in the regulatory reform and review of unmanned aircraft systems, and work with the national government, local governments, and allied businesses toward the commercialization of unmanned aircraft.

The first meeting of the “Advisory Board for the Commercialization of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” is scheduled for December 8, the date of this release.
(Only members of the press may observe online and only at the beginning of the meeting.)
For more details, in Japanese: https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/kouku10_hh_000245.html

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. The 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. AirTruck has flown in demonstration tests in various regions of Japan and has a top-class flight record in Japan and internationally, it has flown in Mongolia at an altitude of 1,300m and an outside temperature of -15°C (November 2023).

*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.

*3 New Smart Logistics
A public-private initiative to find solutions to the issues commonly faced by the logistics industry, such as labor shortages, environmental and energy issues, and DX areas, while utilizing digital and technology to ensure the future sustainability of logistics, which is an indispensable infrastructure for people’s daily lives. The project aims to realize the last mile joint delivery, the best mix of land and air transportation, freight and passenger consolidation, automated technology, etc., through co-creation based on an open public platform (O.P.P.) that transcends the boundaries between the industry and the outside world.

*4 New Logistics SkyHub®︎
A new smart logistics platform jointly developed and deployed by Aeronext and Seino HD that connects existing land transportation and drone logistics, as well as connecting ground and air infrastructure to deliver goods anytime, anywhere. An open and standardized platform with built-in drone delivery, operating from Drone Depots®︎ and using cars and drones as delivery vehicles, and SkyHub®︎ TMS as the base for SkyHub®︎ Delivery (shopping service), SkyHub®︎ Eats (food delivery), SkyHub®︎ Medical (pharmaceutical delivery), as well as joint delivery of packages from different logistics companies in bulk, to develop and provide services tailored to local issues and needs. The introduction of SkyHub® not only has the logistics benefits of promoting unmanned and inventory-free operations and improving last mile delivery efficiency, but also introduces a new logistics infrastructure. Where the logistics industry facing the “2024 Logistics Problem,” SkyHub® will contribute to solving social issues in the region, such as transportation problems in specific depopulated areas, medical problems, disaster countermeasures, and measures for the vulnerable in logistics, SkyHub® will also contribute to address regional issues such as traffic problems in specific depopulated areas, medical problems, disaster countermeasures, and measures for the vulnerable in logistics, as well as raise the level of satisfaction of residents and communities by improving convenience and quality of life.

*5 Nine municipalities implementing new smart logistics SkyHub®
Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture; Kamishihoro Town, Hokkaido; Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture; Sakai Town, Ibaraki Prefecture; Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture; Hidakagawa Town, Wakayama Prefecture; Komatsu City, Ishikawa Prefecture; and Sanagochison, Tokushima Prefecture; and Aga Town, Niigata Prefecture

【About NEXT DELIVERY】
A subsidiary of Aeronext, a company mainly engaged in drone delivery, established in Kosuge Village, Yamanashi Prefecture in 2021 with the vision of “spreading affluence to every corner of the earth through 4D LogisticsTM infrastructure that connects air, land, and time in the age of 100 years of life.” The company is also involved in the development, manufacture, sale, rental, and maintenance of hardware and software related to drone delivery, and related peripheral businesses. Starting with Kosuge Village in Yamanashi Prefecture, we are working to improve the efficiency and revitalization of regional logistics in places such as Kamishihoro Town in Hokkaido and Tsuruga City in 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.