When you order a fresh seafood dish, it’s at least a day old already. It typically takes a minimum of 24 hours to arrive at the restaurant from the moment the fisherman caught it. However, that time is about to shorten thanks to technological advances.
Time isn’t the only issue; using an aircraft with crew members and additional ferries can be un-profitable. Now, Yamaha and Japan Airlines are testing out the possibilities of using a drone for part of the journey.
In February, on Japan’s beautiful Goto Islands, members of both companies conducted a field test. The Goto Islands are approximately 621 miles (1,000 km) west of Tokyo and are part of the archipelago in Nagasaki Prefecture, which is well known for its volcanoes and hot springs.
The Nagasaki Prefecture is made up of 594 islands, consisting of both uninhabited and inhabited islands. The majority of these islands are covered by mountains, forests, untouched nature, and home to wild animals, which can’t be found anywhere else in the world.
The test began on Nakadori Island at Kaimgoto Airport. First, 44 Ib (20kg) of long-tooth grouper was caught and adequately packed into an insulated box. Then, it was secured beneath an industrial Yamaha Fazer R G2 unmanned drone and ready for take-off. The UAV proceeded to launch off and fly over the water for about 22 miles (35 km) till it reached the city of Saikai on the island of Kyushu. Once the drone landed, members from Japan Airlines flight removed the box from the drone and loaded it into a commercial JAL aircraft that was heading to Tokyo. The box of freshly-caught fish reached its final destination in Tokyo the same day.
The same trip that the drone flew from Nakadori-to-Kyushu would generally take around three hours via car and ferry, but the UAV got the job done in only 40 minutes. It flew at an altitude of 100 meters (328 ft). However, it can fly as high as 2,800 meters (9,186 ft).
The Fazer R G2, which is powered by a 4-stroke fuel-injected combustion engine, has excellent performance through its maximum load of 77 Ib (35 kg), cruising time of nearly 2 hours, and cruising range of 56 miles (90km).
Watch the full test trial in the video below, as the drone makes its delivery from the islands, and by lunchtime, the fish is served in a Tokyo restaurant.
