Drones are pioneering models of physical AI. The integration of drones and AI is spreading to all sectors worldwide. One such sector is agriculture. Drones are rapidly becoming widespread in agriculture, used for tasks such as sowing seeds and spraying pesticides. DJI is a Chinese drone company that is said to hold a 70% global market share. Established in 2006, the company has offices in five countries, including the United States and Japan, that it conducts sales activities. Large agricultural drones manufactured by DJI, with diameters exceeding 1 meter, are actively used on farms. In Kaiping City, Guangdong Province, in southern China, these drones are used for sowing seeds and spraying pesticides. This year alone, DJI drones have used them for sowing seeds and other agricultural tasks on 270,000 square kilometers of farmland. This area is comparable to the land area of Japan.
New uses of drones are being adopted in many fields. The environment for the maintenance, inspection, and upkeep business of used solar panels is improving. Solar panel production has reached saturation point. The main battleground in the solar power generation business is shifting from panel production to panel maintenance and management. Panels experience a decrease in power generation capacity and frequent malfunctions year after year after installation. There is also growing demand for businesses that remotely monitor the operation of solar power plants using drones and surveillance cameras. Drones can now capture 4K resolution aerial footage and are equipped with features such as automatic tracking and obstacle avoidance. Furthermore, drones are used for a wide range of applications, including inspecting bridges and transmission towers, surveying construction sites, photographing construction, and ensuring safety in factories. The problem is the shortage of personnel who can effectively operate drones.
The Ukraine War was a major event that demonstrated the rapid evolution of drones. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, has brought about changes (evolution) in military technology. It has become clear that 80% of the damage inflicted by the Ukrainian military on the Russian military was due to drone attacks. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, by 2024, more than 200 domestic companies produced a total of 1.5 million drones. This is 300 times the approximately 5,000 drones produced in 2022. At the start of the war in 2022, Ukraine relied on imports for drones and their components. As the war progressed, they rapidly developed their own production system. Not only the drones themselves, but also the drone pilots play a crucial role. The Ukrainian army has deployed tens of thousands of drone pilots to its frontline units. The Ukrainian war is improving the performance of drones as tools and the skills of the soldiers who operate them.
In Japan, it would be interesting to add drone skills training to the elementary and junior high school curriculum. There are approximately 9 million elementary and junior high school students. Just as these children have improved their IT knowledge and skills, they could improve their drone skills. Drones can be provided at a lower cost than tablets or computers. The wizarding sport featured in Harry Potter is “Quidditch.” This is a team competition that players fly through the air on broomsticks and use four balls to score against their opponents. If elementary and middle school students were to play this magical game using drones, it might help alleviate the shortage of drone operators.
