According to the Japanese “Asahi Shimbun” reported on October 3, drones equipped with infrared cameras from the air to inspect the factory. A snake robot inspects sewer damage underground. At a time when the population is shrinking and the risk of aging infrastructure is worrying, robots are taking the place of humans to carry out inspections throughout society. This “future scenario” is becoming a reality.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., LTD. ‘s plant in Hikari City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, covers an area of about 1 million square meters. High-performance drones take off from one corner of the factory every night. The drone inspected an area with a radius of about 2 kilometers for 20 minutes from a height of 100 meters in the air.

Last spring, Kenichi Yamaguchi, head of the plant’s environment, health and safety (EHS) department, attended an industrial drone exhibition held in the prefecture. As a result, the company contacted vendors and conducted empirical tests and administrative coordination. The drones have been in use since August this year.

The drones are made by DJI, a large Chinese company. The drone is equipped with a high-sensitivity camera and infrared camera, and can basically fly automatically. The path error is said to be within a few centimeters.

The operator and the police department staff will confirm the video in real time. If there are areas that need attention, you can enlarge the image, or lighten the light and so on. The drone camera can also achieve a 20x zoom to carefully examine parts that people cannot see with the naked eye on the ground.

Infrared cameras allow for early detection of anomalies, such as water leaks, animals entering the plant, and temperature changes that can cause fires.

Mr Yamaguchi said: “Compared with driving around factories, drones are good for reducing carbon emissions. “Drones are good for environmental protection and regional development, and their application is highly anticipated.”

Around the specific application in the area, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and the local fire department are discussing strengthening cooperation. They may consider the effective use of drones during forest fires and earthquakes.

“Drones are useful for collecting information from the sky, not only for large-scale disasters, but also for search and rescue operations,” said Akashok Koichi, fire chief of the Gwanggwang District Fire Brigade. It gives more confidence to work.”

A room on the Biwako Kusatsu campus of Ritsumeikan University in Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture, is filled with snakelike robots developed by associate professor Atsuku Kakukawa. Takogawa has been engaged in research and development since his university days and has continued to do so for 14 years.

The latest snake-like robot can enter the 75mm diameter pressure pipe and take pictures of the interior, a particularly narrow part of the sewer. The pressure pipe is a pipe that uses a pump to send water to a high place, and some parts are curved, and the robot can walk freely.

The patented technology includes a twist forward technology and a technology that automatically shrinks to get out of trouble if the power supply is interrupted. The robot can draw a three-dimensional map based on traffic routes.

Since last year, relevant empirical experiments have been carried out in Kusatsu City. According to the city’s sewage facilities department, if the water pipe is a pressure pipe, it is easy to produce hydrogen sulfide and easy to be corroded, and there is no way to inspect the inside of the small-caliber pipe.

The person in charge, Takashi Yamamoto, said expectantly: “If the pipeline is corroded, the water pipe will break and leak, which may lead to the collapse of the road.” And robots can play an important role in preventing problems before they happen.”

Katukawa said: “Robots take on the work that humans cannot do, and play a supporting role in social development.” We want to paint a new picture of society.”