Pop Japan

Drones are one of the most talked-about pieces of technology today. It has been used mainly for filming, but recently, the world has been revolutionizing drones to serve the people. And when it comes to technology, Japan is one of the forerunners.

In April this year, Taisei, the Nagako-based office security and cleaning firm, in collaboration with Blue Innovation, the drone system developer, started the planning for the T-frend project. The drone is created to help solve the overworking crisis in Japan by making the employees go out of their office by playing a song at them.

But this is not the first time that Japan innovated drones for specific purposes. Here are 5 innovations that Japan made for drones over the years.

T-frend

T-frend is the drone innovation that made it to the news in Japan recently. The drone hovers over the  Japanese employees who start doing overtime and blares music at them to force them to go home. It buzzes "Auld Lang Syne," a Scottish tune typically used in Japan to announce the closing of stores. T-Frend’s developers are also studying the possibility of giving the drone a facial recognition technology to tell who is in the office after working hours or whether there is already an intruder.

Fuji Drone Show

Drones have also been innovated for entertainment. The Shibuya-based company, MicroAd,  showed its Sky Magic through a choreographed drone performance in front of the Mt. Fuji in 2016. Directed by Shu Shinakawa, 20 units of these drones with 16,500 LED lights danced with the music of traditional shamisens, the traditional Japanese guitars. It created an aerial exhibition that rivalled some of the best fireworks display in the world.

Sky Magic, led by creative director Tsuyoshi Takashiro, was a project exploring the potential for drones to be used in advertising. The shamisen performance was provided by Tsugaru-Jamisen Oyama-kai.

Drone Race

Where else can you use a flying object like a drone? The Japanese tried it for racing.

Samurai Game, an event organizer, hosted the Japan Race Championship in January 25, 2015. The event was held at 3331 Art Chiyoda, where competitors were judged by their technique and style in operating the drones. In 2016, the Drone Impact Challenge, as part of the Japan Drone Expo, hosted an indoor drone race on March 24 to 26 at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center. This event gave people a sample of the new and upcoming sport of First Person View (FPV) drone racing. In 2017, the Japan Drone Racing Association (JDRA) held their 3rd annual Japan Drone Championship in Hus Ten Bosch, a theme park in Nagasaki. It was the first night race where it had the perfect backdrop of the park.

Mascot Drone

Japan, also known as the Land of Mascots, also used drones to make people happy and attract tourists. Yukimaru, the first mascot drone, was powered by a quadcopter and had debuted in a promotional video about the town. In the video, which was released on February 2017, Yukimaru was seen strolling serenely through the town’s attractions such as the Daruma Temple, the Yamato River and Mount Myojin.

JAXA

Japan has not only innovated drones for the people on Earth, but they also developed the technology to be used in outer space. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) designed the JEM Internal Ball Camera, or "Int-Ball" which is a bit larger than a softball. It can float and maneuver by itself but can also be controlled remotely, and could take high-resolution images and videos. The Int-Ball was delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 2017 and was designed to increase the monitoring equipment of ISS, and eventually decrease demands on human astronauts.

Int-Ball moves by turning on small internal fans and sees with a camera located between its two dark eyes. Int-Ball is a product of the 3D printing and modern drone technology. It functions on a 3-axis control unit, which has several internal reference points plus 12 propeller fans. These allow the drone to go anywhere at any time, using autonomous flight.

Technology is changing the world fast. A lot of drones have already been innovated for the comfort and entertainment of the people. Let's just wait for new inventions that Japan will create that will surely leave us in awe.