Remote-controlled drones are now assisting maintenance workers in the subway tunnels of the Tokyo Metro system. Recently, the Tokyo Metro Co. showed reporters a demonstration of how it’s utilizing inspection drones to improve the safety of tunnels. On February 6th, the drones were launched on the Hanzomon Line at the Koto Ward facility in Tokyo. Since then, the Tokyo Metro company has been using them to inspect their tunnels.
The drone looks similar to Flyability’s Elios 2 inspection drone; a sphere cage surrounds it, and there is a bright LED light and camera attached to it. The plastic sphere around the drone protects it from potential bumps and knocks while it’s navigating. The drone is 8.5 inches wide, weighs 2.5 pounds (1.15kg), and can fly at an altitude of 164 feet (50 meters) for up to five minutes.
Tokyo Metro subway network consists of almost 121 miles (191km) of nine independent lines that run under Tokyo. Currently, these lines are inspected by maintenance workers, who need to use scaffolding and other heavy equipment. These inspection drones would not only completely accurate inspections but also would reduce the need for these traditional methods of investigation.
During the recent demonstration, an employee flew the drone through a 5.5-meter high training tunnel with onboard cameras capturing images of areas near the vents and ceiling. The camera also films a live stream video that is sent to a monitor where other workers are inspecting the footage for any signs of weakness and defects.
Tokyo Metro company plans to roll out drone inspections throughout the entire tunnel network (all of its nine lines) in the next coming years, with the Marunouchi line being the 10th line added to that list by the end of 2020. ‘We want to use drones to do more for safety,’ a company official stated.
What do you think about utilizing drones for inspections? Do you think they should be used more often?
