日本語 
iRobotics and Koyo Kikai Sangyo have entered a strategic business partnership with Heron AirBridge, a company at the forefront of air mobility and drone operation systems. The goal is to research, develop, and bring to market drone operation solutions that are highly safe and efficient.
Stemming from this collaboration, iRobotics Inc., which is located in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, and KYC Asia Pte. Ltd., a Japanese subsidiary of Koyo Machinery Industry Co., Ltd. in Osaka, have formed a partnership with Heron AirBridge Pte. Ltd. The tripartite alliance will jointly pursue the areas of creating, merging, showcasing, and distributing drone tech solutions.
By combining their technical expertise and resources, the companies aim to advance drone operation solutions not just in Japan and Singapore, but also in wider international markets.
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Heron AirBridge, based in Singapore, is building a system and UTM platform that unifies airspace management and flight control over large areas. This involves working with drone ports, drones, and remote ID hardware. The company envisions a ‘transnational air network’ and is promoting standardization for autonomous flight operations and remote management across Asian countries, including the legal and airspace systems.
In the meantime, the industrial application of drones is rapidly increasing in Japan. Drones are becoming more and more indispensable in logistics, infrastructure inspections, disaster response, and other fields. In parallel, the need for safe and efficient drone flight control is on the rise. The three companies, therefore, have entered into the agreement to work together on everything from technology development to market expansion.
In this joint venture, the two firms intend to merge cutting-edge technologies as well as global connections to produce comprehensive air travel solutions. Furthermore, they aim to quicken the progress of the future of the drone market and its usage in Japan and Asia in general.
The companies will work together on several fronts:
Collaborative product research
They will jointly develop and test a system that combines Heron’s drone traffic management and UTM platform with iRobotics’ drone solutions and automation services. The goal is to make a system that can safely manage multiple drones flying at the same time, whether remotely operated or autonomous.
Market feasibility checks
Through the products they create, the firms would take a look at the possibilities of introducing drone solutions to Japan, Singapore, and the Asia-Pacific area. They will create the business models and select the areas to focus on according to the rules and market requirements in every country.
Demonstration experiments
To verify the technology, the companies will conduct demonstration scenarios. These will include multi-drone mission management, avoiding collisions by adjusting flight paths, and monitoring compliance with flight rules.
Most demonstrations will happen at Drone Field KAWACHI in Kawachi Town, Ibaraki Prefecture. The site is near the Tokyo metropolitan area. It is a large-scale outdoor airfield and indoor test facility run by iRobotics with local government support. The facility supports night flights, long-distance flights beyond visual line of sight, and a full range of testing conditions.
The companies will also invite domestic customers and related organizations to take part. This will help them understand real-world needs and collect feedback to improve the technology and make it more practical for the field.
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