JAL Conducting verification towards realization of pharmaceutical delivery business model using drones

[JAL] Conducting verification to realize business model for delivering medicines using drones ​
JAL Press release: November 27, 2024 Conducting verification aimed at realizing a business model for delivering medicines using drones ～Improving the safety of the operation system for service implementation in urban areas～ November 27, 2024 KDDI Corporation KDDI Smart Drone Co., Ltd. Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. East Japan Railway Company Weathernews Co., Ltd. Mediceo Co., Ltd. KDDI Corporation (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Makoto Takahashi, hereinafter KDDI), KDDI Smart Drone Corporation (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Masafumi Hirono, hereafter KDDI Smart Drone), Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director, President and Group CEO: Mitsuko Tottori, hereinafter referred to as Mitsuko Tottori) JAL), East Japan Railway Company (Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Yoichi Kiyoshi, hereinafter referred to as JR East), Weathernews Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, President and Representative Director: Tomohiro Ishibashi, Six companies (hereinafter referred to as “Mediceo”), Mediceo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Kuniaki Imagawa, hereinafter referred to as “Mediceo”), will operate in Tokyo from October 21, 2024 to November 7, 2024. In Hinohara Village, Nishitama District, we conducted a demonstration (hereinafter referred to as the
“Demonstration”) aimed at social implementation of a business that delivers pharmaceuticals by drone. This demonstration is based on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s “Demonstration Project for Promoting the Social Implementation of Drone Logistics Services” (Note 1), and aims to quickly implement drone logistics services in urban areas. The demonstration project started in November 2021, and has been a three-year plan to formulate and verify the business flow of a pharmaceutical delivery business model that utilizes drones. In this demonstration, which will be the final year, we will aim to implement the service in densely populated urban areas.We will develop a management system for rare pharmaceuticals that will be delivered when the service is implemented in Hinohara Village, and a system that JAL will operate during aircraft operations. We have introduced CRM (Crew Resource Management) (Note 2) training for those involved in drone operations, including personnel involved in drone operations, to verify an operational system that ensures higher safety. Through this demonstration, we completed verification of drone delivery of rare drugs while ensuring a high level of safety, and increased the feasibility of a business model for delivering medicines using drones in urban areas. Based on the verification results obtained from this demonstration, the six companies will aim to socially implement the drone-based pharmaceutical delivery business model, including considering equipment that complies with the legal system in order to implement the service in urban areas.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/30684/1142/30684-1142-133e238be07097ff6bd8a582f1c729e9-583×274.jpg (Note 1) Project on building a business model for logistics services etc. using drones (Note 2) The concept of improving the team’s ability to carry out work by effectively and effectively utilizing all available resources and by mobilizing the strengths of team members in order to ensure safe flight operations. ■About this demonstration 1. Overview A logistics drone was used to fly a flight route that included over third parties, connecting the Hibara Clinic (2717 Santo-go, Hinohara-mura, Nishitama-gun, Tokyo) and the special nursing home Hibara Sana Home (3791-4, Hinohara-mura, Nishitama-gun, Tokyo). delivered ampoules used for storing rare drugs on autopilot and verified the operation.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/30684/1142/30684-1142-7bff3cc3e590f4e80cb27f7db0f2542c-748×364.jpg 2. Details Drone operations carried out level 3.5 and level 4 flights. In the Level 3.5 flight, we verified the efficiency of a one-to-two operation in which two drones are operated simultaneously by one operator in order to efficiently deliver a large number of medical supplies in a short period of time. For the Level 4 flight, we introduced CRM training for pilots and other personnel involved in flight operations in anticipation of service demonstrations in urban areas, and conducted verification of operations that ensured even higher levels of safety. Each flight was conducted remotely from a flight control room set up in the KDDI Smart Drone office in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/30684/1142/30684-1142-f1af271f0af620019200941598ec4f23-808×337.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/30684/1142/30684-1142-6d22eb3a894502c8cd2c2794dbddfe08-810×613.jpg 3． Cooperation Hinohara Village, Hinohara Clinic, Hihara Sana Home, Hinohara Mori Toy Museum, FUREAI GLAMPING & BBQ, Hinohara Village Timber Industry Cooperative 4. Role of each company
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/30684/1142/30684-1142-3c2a3992b10196813591078dfb57ccb5-777×232.jpg ■About business model verification
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/30684/1142/30684-1142-ab8101bacded09b9c73d61afb4d67d09-829×528.jpg (Reference) ■Past efforts toward social implementation of drone logistics For the first time in Tokyo, we conducted food delivery and medicine delivery using drones in a manned area, and verified the operability and business feasibility closer to real life. • Press release on November 11, 2021 Tokyo’s first demonstration experiment of food delivery using a drone in a manned area was conducted at Waters Takeshiba on November 20th • Press release on February 1, 2022 First in Tokyo, drug delivery experiment using drone across multiple bridges including Eitai Bridge In addition to verifying safety by transporting medical supplies using remote autonomous drone flight for one month, we also conducted drone classes at elementary schools to raise awareness and understanding among local residents. • Press release on July 28, 2022 (Tokyo) We have selected a project that aims to socially implement drone logistics services in Tokyo • Press release on January 18, 2023 Demonstration of long-term operation of drones with a view to Level 4 flight in Tokyo For the first time in Japan, we conducted a demonstration of transporting pharmaceuticals using a Level 4 drone flight. We also verified the safety and labor-saving benefits of introducing a drone port. • Press release on December 18, 2023 Japan’s first demonstration of transporting pharmaceuticals by Level 4 drone flight • ・Press release on February 27, 2024 Demonstration of pharmaceutical delivery and reception management using drone port ■About KDDI Smart Drone Co., Ltd. KDDI Smart Drone is building a service that realizes safe remote and long-distance flights by controlling drones using aerial mobile communications. We are working to realize new businesses using drones and provide flexible services that meet customer needs in various fields such as inspection, logistics, monitoring, agriculture, and surveying. We also operate the KDDI Smart Drone Academy, a drone school that operates unmanned aircraft operator qualification courses that correspond to national drone qualifications, as well as specialist courses specializing in solutions, at more than 10 locations in Japan. *Company profile is https://kddi.smartdrone.co.jp/ Please take a look. ■About Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.’s air mobility business Leveraging the knowledge and technology cultivated through the air transportation business, JAL aims to realize a society where next-generation air mobility is utilized in various regions of Japan. Aiming for a society in which various types of air mobility frequently fly around, we are building a platform that supports safe and smooth operations so that more businesses can use air mobility with peace of mind. In addition, as a human resource development program responsible for the safe operation of drones, we operate the JAL Air Mobility Operation Academy (JAMOA), which is based on “know-how for safe operation of manned aircraft.” JAMOA provides a systematic lecture curriculum based on CRM, which is taken by many drone operators. *JAMOA homepage
https://www.jal.com/ja/jamoa/ Please see. ■About JR East “TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY” JR East is promoting the town development of “TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY”. Inheriting the historical background of the country’s role as the gateway to the Edo period and the memory of innovation in the area where Japan’s first railway ran, the development concept is “Global Gateway,” and “we aim to create a spiritually enriching lifestyle 100 years from now.” We aim to become a city where new business and culture continue to be born as a “testing ground for the future.” THE LINKPILLAR 1 and the area around Takanawa Gateway Station will open on March 27, 2025, and the other buildings (THE LINKPILLAR 2, MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives, TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY RESIDENCE) and the area around each building will open in the spring of 2026. We will open. We will continue to promote projects in the area around Shinagawa Station (Shinagawa Station North Exit Station Improvements and Shinagawa Station Block) with the aim of improving the value of the area and working together with the community. (TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY official website:
https://www.takanawagateway-city.com ) ■About Weathernews Co., Ltd. Weathernews was born out of the founder’s passionate desire to “protect the lives of sailors” after experiencing a marine accident in 1970. Since then, we have taken on the challenge of disseminating weather information to people who really need it as information that can help them take countermeasures. The weather service market that started from the sea has expanded to the air and land, and with the motto “We want to help people in times of emergency,” we currently provide risk communication services to customers in approximately 50 countries around the world 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I’m doing it. Weather information is essential for safe drone operation. For 39 years, the Weathernews Aviation Weather Division has been supporting safe flight operations by leveraging our know-how in providing weather and dynamic information support for airlines, helicopters, and other manned aircraft. *Company profile is https://jp.weathernews.com/ Please take a look. ■About Mediceo Co., Ltd. Mediceo supports the healthy lives of the people as a member of the Medipal Group, whose business fields are “medical care, health, and beauty.” In Japan, where the birthrate is declining and the population is aging, people’s needs for healthy living are increasing. In this environment, as a social infrastructure company that stably supports the distribution of “medical care, health, and beauty,” we aim to accurately and efficiently listen to the thoughts of those who create products and the thoughts of those who are waiting for the products they need. I play the role of connecting. Furthermore, in order to optimize the entire supply chain, we will pursue and realize logistics that is lean, provides high customer satisfaction, and is resilient to emergencies, while developing and nurturing new businesses with high social value. We are working on various innovations such as: As a wholesaler that provides safe, stable, and valuable distribution that meets the expectations of society and customers in any era, our management is to “contribute to people’s health and the development of society through the creation of distribution value.” We will continue to progress further in line with our philosophy. *Company profile is https://www.mediceo.co.jp/ Please take a look. Above