In the summer of 2020, drones became the "eyes" of lifesavers at Katase Nishihama in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture. From July 18th to August 23rd, over 19 days of Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and Obon, the volunteer group "Flying Beach Guardians" presided over by the Keio University Drone Social Co-Creation Consortium collaborated with lifesavers to ensure the safety of the sea. Drones were used for protection.
Flying Beach Guardians in action at the drone takeoff and landing site set up in Katase Nishihama (Image provided by Kanagawa Prefecture/Fujisawa City/Flying Beach Guardians) , A total of more than 100 regular flights, and a scrambled flight that was dispatched at the request of a lifesaver, about the knowledge and future challenges, Deputy Representative of the Drone Social Co-creation Consortium, Keio University SFC Research Institute / Flying Beach Guardians We spoke with the representative, Mr. Masaki Minami.In order to prevent the spread of new coronavirus infection, beaches around the country postponed opening, making 2020 an unusual summer . There were many unintentional intrusions on the closed beach, where there were no guards or rescue facilities. Since there is no designated swimming area, there are growing concerns about accidents involving surfers and other swimmers coming into contact with each other.
Fujisawa City in Kanagawa Prefecture, which predicted such a situation, created the "Summer Coastal Fujisawa Model 2020" and announced it on June 19th. It was decided to set up a self-restraining area for marine sports and deploy lifesavers and security guards to supervise and instruct the safety of swimmers. Kanagawa Prefecture also canceled the opening of 25 beaches in the prefecture, but was promoting efforts to prevent water accidents on the coast.
Katase Nishihama's marine sports self-restraint area (swimming area) and marine sports possible area in the Summer Coastal Fujisawa Model 2020 (quote: press release) The drone patrol was carried out within the framework of the "Fujisawa Model 2020" and as part of the "Kanagawa Drone Prerequisite Social Network" model project promoted by Kanagawa Prefecture since 2019.The point is that the drone was flown under the direction of the Life Saving Club. Looking back, Mr. Minami said, ``With the cooperation of the Japan Lifesaving Association, the Kanagawa Prefecture Lifesaving Association, and the Katase Nishihama Lifesaving Club, which has continued its steady activities locally, we were able to obtain knowledge that will lead to the future.'' .
Flying Beach Guardians is led by the Keio University SFC Research Institute Drone Social Co-Creation Consortium, with multiple operators such as JDRONE, It is a mixed team of drone pilots living in Kanagawa Prefecture. The pro bono pilots who volunteered to participate are professional pilots with a wealth of experience in the field, but they continued to search for ways to build a safe operation system during July.
DJI's industrial drone Matrice 300 RTK flying with announcement speakers and a floating ring that expands when it touches water. The existence of the drone itself is said to have acted as a deterrent to dangerous behavior (Image provided by: Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujisawa City, Flying Beach Guardians)
First, ensuring safety at the take-off and landing locations for drones. There were issues such as how to secure the necessary safety space and how to guide swimmers in response to sudden jumps by children. Initially, six safety guards worked on it, but in the end, it became possible to operate the takeoff and landing site with a total of three people: a pilot, a co-pilot, and a safety guard.
While patrolling about 1km ahead, the problem of radio wave interference also surfaced. Wireless equipment on the beach and the smartphones used by many swimmers were thought to have had an effect. The team discussed and resolved various operational issues one by one, such as safe flight altitude based on such flight environment, conditions for flight cancellation due to wind or lightning, selection and setting of equipment such as aircraft and monitors. rice field. It is said that there were many discoveries due to the “social implementation” of flying every day in the field, which is completely different from the demonstration experiment.
Only on August 11th, when the wind speed was 10m/s, all flights were canceled due to safety considerations. The image shows the wind speed measurement (image provided by Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujisawa City, Flying Beach Guardians)In addition, at the first meeting from the lifeguards, "Has anyone seen a dead body in this place?" The question is said to have left a particularly strong impression. “Rescue operations may see bodies. It is said that the message from the professional in the field of life further increased the tension and morale of the Flying Beach Guardians pilots.
It was before the Bon Festival, when the second half of the game was approaching, that I was able to establish a system of cooperation with the lifesaver. Even during the handover in the morning and afternoon of regular flights, I was able to have conversations with limited points, such as "What kind of opinions and requests did the lifesavers have? How is the beach today?" "I've come to understand how drone pilots should look at the entire beach and what lifeguards are concerned about." (Mr. Minami)
Mr. Minami said, "Before the implementation, there were symbolic activities such as calling out to those who were doing dangerous acts from the speaker mounted on the drone, and dropping a floating ring for the purpose of water rescue. I thought it would be active," he said. However, when asked by the lifesavers, they say that they only call out when they really want to be careful. The drone's speakers, which were always on, were turned off by default midway through, and the operation was reviewed so that they could be used as needed.
In addition, it would be better if there were no scenes where the floating ring was dropped. There were times when he asked himself, "What can drones be used for? Aren't they unnecessary?" However, he said, "There are quite a few people on the other side of the waves who cannot be seen from the beach side when high waves come. Drones can be used to see them from the sky, so they can be clearly seen. There is a possibility of using drones." seems to have appeared often.
Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa (left) and Mr. Minami (right) explain the project on August 13th. Governor Kuroiwa commented that he expects the "collaboration" between lifesavers and drones in the future (Image provided by: Kanagawa Prefecture, Fujisawa City, Flying Beach Guardians)``People who regularly fly drones. For me, the advantage of being able to have a free perspective is obvious, but I realized once again that it should actually be useful.There is no value in adding a new gimmick, but just by broadening your perspective, you are a lifesaver. It can be a tool for Mr. Minami. Also, in a scramble flight when a boat approached the self-restraint area, he saw how the boat would evacuate just by directing the drone in a straight line, and realized that ``the existence of the drone itself can be a deterrent to dangerous behavior.'' He noticed.
For the future, Mr. Minami said, "We would like to systematize our knowledge about situations where drones are overwhelmingly more effective. '' he said enthusiastically. "If it's close, it's quicker for lifeguards to run to see it. Drones are useful in remote areas and areas where it's dangerous for humans to enter, such as river mouths and areas with rip currents." (Minami) Mr.), and the division of roles between humans and drones is also clear.
I could also see the technical issues with the aircraft and the operation system. The beach is a harsh environment for drones, with sea breeze, dust, iron sand, etc. under the scorching sun. You need something that can withstand a couple of daily blows for the two months of the beach season. In addition, due to the business characteristics of lifesaving, it is difficult to use unless maintenance is so easy that it can be washed away with water along with other tools.
Mr. Minami said, "How to get into a field where technology is difficult to enter and how to find the superiority of technology. It is essential to have people who support you and to be able to spend a lot of time on site." He emphasized that it was most beneficial to discover the possibilities of using drones from the perspective of the field by establishing a cooperative system of lifesavers and drones as a “one team” through the eight consecutive days of work during the Obon period.
The scene as seen from the Enoshima Aquarium. The images taken from here are often shared on social media, and positive comments such as ``Drones are watching over our beach'' seem to have been a source of supportMr. Minami said, ``Drones are the norm. We have already started working on the development of drones and systems that are easy to handle and maintain even for those who are not familiar with drones, and on systematizing and educating the basic knowledge for using drones on the beach.” Reveal. Even now that Flying Beach Guardians has completed its drone operation without any accidents, it seems that inquiries from all over the world continue. A new normal that protects the safety of beaches may be born from the sea of Shonan.