Japan drone school developing AI bear detection system

TOKYO – A drone school in north-eastern Japan is developing a new system that uses drones and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and automatically track bears amid a surge in bear-related incidents.

The new system being developed by D-Academy Tohoku in Gojome, Akita Prefecture, will be able to detect bears hidden from view in mountainous or urban areas, and share their locations via smartphones. It is expected to be available in 2026, and local authorities are already showing a keen interest.

The aircraft, measuring 98cm in length, 76cm in width and 48cm in height, will be equipped with a night-vision camera and an infrared camera for measuring temperatures.

Upon receiving a sighting report, a pilot launches the aircraft and flies it over the area as it transmits images. These images are analysed by AI software installed on a personal computer, and if a bear is detected, the aircraft switches to autonomous flight and tracks the animal.

With a flight time of one hour, it will hand off the surveillance to another aircraft and automatically return to base before the battery runs out.

Location data, obtained via Global Positioning System, is shared in real time with the government, police and hunting clubs through a dedicated smartphone app.

The academy improved the AI’s detection accuracy by collecting photographs of black and brown bears in cooperation with a zoo in Kitaakita. As a result, the system can identify the animals even when their bodies are mostly obscured, something that would be difficult for the human eye to discern.

Ms Kanako Ishii of D-Academy Tohoku said that with the new system, “a small number of people can search a wide area for bears, and early detection will give us more options than killing them, such as driving them away or alerting people”.

“We hope to create a system that reduces unfortunate encounters between people and bears and promotes better separation between them,” she said. KYODO NEWS