Govt to Develop AI-Equipped Drones to Identify Suspicious People in Disaster-Hit Areas

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, August 25, 2024

The government plans to develop a drone equipped with artificial intelligence and cameras that can automatically identify suspicious people when flying over disaster-hit areas.

In past disasters, criminal acts such as burglaries have been confirmed in areas left vacant after residents were evacuated.

The government intends to use AI-equipped drones to supplement police patrols and strengthen crime prevention measures in disaster areas. If the drone detects a person or vehicle while patrolling the skies, it reacts to the movement and displays the image on a monitor in a remote location.

A drone equipped only with a camera requires constant monitoring, but an AI-equipped drone can itself detect suspicious people or vehicles and then notify drone operators.

Private security companies and others have already developed and tested AI-equipped drones. The government plans to deploy its own AI-equipped drones to survey disaster areas as soon as possible and is also considering utilizing private sector technology.

Some of the drones developed by the private sector include autonomous drones that automatically track suspicious persons after detecting them. The government has in mind having prefectural police headquarters make use of this kind of drone.

Since wireless drones can only fly for short periods of time, the government also plans to consider the use of drones that fly while powered by wired cables and are therefore capable of longer flight times.

The government is focusing its efforts on drone patrols in disaster areas because there have been a number of cases where homes and vehicles have been broken into and burgled after residents evacuated areas hit by major earthquakes and tsunami.

Such criminal acts have also been reported in Wajima and Suzu in Ishikawa Prefecture, which were hit by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January.

The government have concluded it is necessary to take immediate action to prevent crimes in such disaster-affected areas.