Liberaware Co., Ltd.
Concept movie of “Project SPARROW”, a project adopted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s SBIR Phase 3, released – Technology demonstration related to maintenance and management of railway facilities using drones, traffic management systems, and digital twins begins –
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Liberaware Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Representative Director and CEO: Hong-kyu Min) is a company that is working to improve efficiency and save labor in the maintenance and management of railway facilities as part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Small and Medium Enterprise Innovation Creation Promotion Project (SBIR Phase 3 Fund Project). On June 10th (Monday), we released a concept movie for the project “Project SPARROW,” which was selected for “Technology Development and Demonstration that Contributes to the Development of Innovation.”
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/31759/59/resize/d31759-59-a363378b495f40527971-0.jpg&s3=31759-59-2ac2e27ca60a3a5666b43d06c3b80369-1920×1080.jpg] ■What is “Project SPARROW”?
“Project SPARROW” *1 is the project name taken from the initials of “SPecialized Aerial Remote Railway Observation Work platform.” In addition, the word “SPARROW” (= sparrow) represents the project’s desire to live in a wide range of areas, from urban areas to agricultural areas, and become a familiar part of Japanese society, like sparrows.
*1 This is the project name and is different from the “product name” or “solution name” when it is commercialized.
■Project background/purpose
In the railway industry, the average age of owned assets is over 50 years, and the overall age of assets is progressing. In addition, natural disasters are becoming more severe and more frequent, and damage to equipment is increasing. Constant inspection and maintenance are essential for safe train operation, but with Japan’s working-age population decreasing, fewer people are required to carry out on-site monitoring. In addition, railway sites are faced with occupational accidents such as “touching cars,” “electric shock,” and “falls,” which are unique to the railway environment, and there is not only the risk of damage to equipment, but also the risk of the lives of site workers. Inspections and maintenance are currently being carried out to ensure safe train operation. In addition, in order to resume operations quickly in the event of frequent disasters, there is a need to quickly understand the damage situation while avoiding the risk of secondary disasters.
Many railway facilities are difficult to access by road, and inspection surveys using drones are the best way to solve the above issues. Therefore, in order to respond to the unique environment of railways, we have developed a digital twin that is linked to a drone operation management system, along with a drone that has functions that take train avoidance and the surrounding environment into account, and aim to introduce an inspection solution that combines these on-site. Masu.
■Project implementation overview
We will develop an automatic patrol drone that can conduct patrol inspections at railway sites and temporary confirmation in disaster environments, and a digital twin platform that can view and analyze the information collected by the drone, thereby improving safety and productivity in railway infrastructure inspections. . This solution will be especially effective on regional routes where the population is decreasing significantly.
In addition, when a disaster occurs, drones collect data on-site to shorten recovery time and strengthen response capabilities. Through this, we will create resilient infrastructure and strive to realize a safe and secure society.
■About the concept movie (Youtube URL: https://youtu.be/26q43jd369w) The theme is the future of railway sites that will be realized through this project. “Humans” carry out conventional inspection work with the risks of “touch wheels,” “electric shock,” and “crashes,” and “drones*2” and “operation management systems” that eliminate those risks and function as new inspection solutions. ” focuses on the “digital twin” and expresses a future where improved safety and productivity are realized.
*2 The drone that appears in the movie is a CG image and is different from the aircraft that will actually be developed.
(Excerpt from concept movie)
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/31759/59/resize/d31759-59-0cc92f97cd179d1775ec-1.png&s3=31759-59-b381c6808e73c4a439c3998ec3dad1c3-2368×1019.png ]
(Photography cooperation)
Nippon Retech Co., Ltd./Azuma Gorge Rail Bike Agattan Higashiazuma Town Hall/Usui Pass Railway Culture Village
■About the Small and Medium Enterprise Innovation Creation Promotion Project (SBIR Phase 3 Fund Project)
The purpose of this project is to conduct large-scale technology demonstrations (Phase 3) for start-up companies conducting innovative research and development that will lead to social implementation, and to promote the social implementation of cutting-edge technologies owned by start-ups in Japan. .
–Reference-https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/sogo17_hh_000161.html https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/sogo17_hh_000168.html ■About Liberaware Co., Ltd.
Liberaware Co., Ltd. has the mission of “creating a safe society for everyone,” and is one of the world’s smallest, specializing in inspections and measurements of “narrow, dark, dangerous” and “indoor spaces,” which are rare in the world. We develop drones, analyze image data collected by the drones, and provide infrastructure inspection and maintenance management solutions to customers. Our company continues to strive for our vision of “visualizing invisible risks” and deliver a safe and peaceful society to people.
Company name: Liberaware Co., Ltd.
Representative: Min Hong-kyu
Location: 3-3-1 Chuo, Chuo-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture
Established: August 22, 2016
Business details: ・Development of non-GPS type small drones
specialized for industrial fields
・System development using IoT technology and artificial intelligence ・Inspection and surveying solution service using small drone “IBIS” ・Sales and rental service of small drone “IBIS”
・Video processing/editing services (distance measurement, abnormality detection, etc.)
URL: https://liberaware.co.jp/
More details about this release:
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000059.000031759.html