Sora Iina and Toyota Tsusho conducted a demonstration of brown bear countermeasures using drones and AI in Kamisunagawa Town, Hokkaido. The demonstration ran from 5 to 9 October under a public-private partnership testing framework.
Sora Iina and Toyota Tsusho conducted a demonstration of drones and AI to counter brown bear appearances in Kamisunagawa Town, Hokkaido. The demonstration took place from 5 to 9 October under the framework of a fiscal 2026 survey and demonstration project commissioned by the Cabinet Office.
The demonstration aimed to build a brown bear countermeasure model that municipalities can operate. Drones provided a system combining rapid response when bears appear with preventive patrols, and the operation was tested to confirm safety after sighting reports and enable continuous monitoring and patrols during periods and in areas with a high risk of bear appearances.
An “GLOW.L rev2” aircraft manufactured by Amuse One Self was used, equipped with an optical camera and thermal sensor to collect and transmit data in real time. Data was processed by software including AI, and flight paths were designed mainly around locations where brown bears had previously appeared.
From 5 to 9 October, the demonstration recorded 24 flights, 11 hours 03 minutes of flight time and 95 km flown. The thermal sensor detected brown bears even in environments where visual confirmation was difficult, confirming the potential to replace and improve the efficiency of patrols. Discussions will continue on improving the accuracy of automatic AI detection and localising a sustainable operating framework for municipalities.