Japan’s First Human-detecting Smart Drone Demonstrates Stadium Security with 4G LTE

February 5, 2019

KDDI CORPORATION (Headquarters:Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President Makoto Takahashi, hereinafter called “KDDI”), Terra Drone Ltd. (Headquarters:Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO Toru Tokushige, hereinafter called “Terra Drone”) and SECOM CO., LTD. (Headquarters:Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President Yasuo Nakayama, hereinafter called “SECOM”), in cooperation with Saitama Stadium 2002 (Saitama-shi, Saitama), became the first Japanese companies to demonstrate the drone security and surveillance system to monitor a stadium by using Smart Drone*1 equipped with mobile communications network (4G LTE) and human detection system.

A drone flying above the stadium

In the demonstration, a high-altitude drone used to patrol the surrounding area of the stadium automatically identifies a suspicious person and calculates the location by utilizing a human detection AI system. Furthermore, directed by operation management system interlocking with map, a low-altitude drone patrolling in lower height automatically flies down to the suspicious person and sends the location information to the command center. In order to achieve real-time detection, the drones are equipped with an AI processing system.

A drone detecting a suspicious person
Location of the suspicious person on the map

Upon the demo, KDDI and Terra Drone jointly developed a new operation management system which captures and analyzes the 3D relief map, weather and wind conditions and aerial mobile communications (4G LTE)  condition around the area of interest.
With these information, we can predetermine whether or not a drone can safely fly in a scheduled area using reservation/approval system.
SECOM also provided the security requirements definition for the operation management system.

3D relief map
weather/wind condition
aerial mobile communication area map

The new operation management system corresponding to AI and information service is not only useful for security but has been proven highly efficient for equipment inspection, and could be deployed for disaster and emergency responses in the near future.
At KDDI, we are a company that continues to provide excitement as we move forward with the integration of telecommunications and life design. it will continue to be a company that offers exciting new ideas and creates new customer experience value by aiming to realize a society in which the drone works with the “smart drones platform”.
The demonstration was part of “research and development of operation management system for security” by NEDO in “Drones and Robots for Ecologically Sustainable Societies project (DRESS project)*3”.

<FURTHER DETAILS> 
1. About the demonstration experiment
The demonstration experiment was conducted on 28thNobember, 2018 at Saitama Stadium 2002 in the process below.

  1. “High-altitude drone” patrolling wide area automatically identifies a suspicious person and calculate the location
  2. The location information is sent to “low-altitude drone” patrolling in lower height through the operation management system
  3. The “low-altitude drone” flies down to the suspicious person based on the location information

2. About the operation management system
KDDI and Terra Drone are jointly developing the drone operation management system in DRESS project.
With management system built over operation system as a host processor and reservation/approval system based on information for drone flight, we can predetermine if a drone can safely fly in a scheduled area and guarantee its safety.
Map data and weather/wind condition are provided by ZENRIN CO., LTD. and Weathernews Inc. respectively.

operation management system structure

3. Roles of each corporation

*1  Safely long-running drones with KDDI telecommunication network
For more information, visit to the website of Smart Drone (http://smartdrone.kddi.com/)
*2  Referenced from the research by SECOM on December 18, 2018.
Remote guard by drones equipped with AI system through mobile telecommunication network.
*3  Drones and Robots for Ecologically Sustainable Societies project (DRESS project)
The project was launched in 2017 and will be ended in 2021, lasting for 5 years. The budget is 3.22 billion yen.
DRESS is an abbreviation of Drones and Robots for Ecologically Sustainable Societies project.
http://www.nedo.go.jp/activities/ZZJP2_100080.html

<Reference>
World success of guarding wide-area by interconnecting drones through 4G LTE (http://news.kddi.com/kddi/corporate/newsrelease/2018/03/15/3009.html

【CONTACT DETAILS FROM THE PRESS】
Dept. of PR, KDDI CORPORATION  Tel: +81 3 6678 0690
Dept. of PR, Terra Drone Ltd.         Tel: +81 3 6419 7193
Dept. of PR, SECOM CO., LTD.       Tel: +81 3 5775 8210

When you cover the news on your media, please let us know at the email address below.
akari.hosoya@terra-drone.co.jp