Advancing DX and Safety at Manufacturing Sites: Flight Tests of the IBIS2 Drone for Inspecting Ultra-Narrow Spaces
HAMABO Co., Ltd. (head office: Hamamatsu, Shizuoka) carried out flight tests and test filming with IBIS2, a drone for inspecting ultra-narrow spaces, at “Carrier Park,” a permanent showroom for conveying equipment operated by YMG Co., Ltd. (head office: Toyohashi, Aichi). The aim was to make equipment inspections at manufacturing sites more efficient and safer.
1. Background and Purpose
In recent years, manufacturing sites have urgently needed to automate equipment maintenance and promote DX (digital transformation) to cope with labor shortages and stricter safety standards. In particular, inspecting narrow spaces and hazardous areas that are difficult for people to enter, such as above ceilings, inside piping and ducts, in underground pits and inside large conveying equipment, takes a great deal of effort and involves safety risks.
To verify how effective the high maneuverability and reliable inspection performance of IBIS2, the ultra-narrow-space inspection drone we handle, would be at an actual manufacturing site, we conducted the test at YMG’s Carrier Park, where state-of-the-art automation and robot systems are in operation.
* YMG’s news release about this flight test (in Japanese):
2. Details and Results of the Flight Tests
Using the actual operating environment at Carrier Park, including large conveying equipment and autoloaders, we ran a range of tests that simulated a real manufacturing site.
- Stable flight along narrow and dark routes
Using its LED lights and high-sensitivity camera, the drone flew and hovered stably between complex equipment, in narrow passages and in dark spaces with no light, even without GPS.
- Following and overhead filming of operating equipment
We successfully filmed while following the movement of the equipment and captured overall overhead footage from high places and blind spots that are hard to check visually.
- Proving its usefulness at manufacturing sites
The flexible approach only a drone can offer allowed us to experience and demonstrate concrete ways to check equipment conditions in detail, safely and quickly, without stopping operations.
3. About IBIS2, the Drone for Inspecting Ultra-Narrow Spaces
IBIS2 is one of the smallest industrial drones in Japan, developed by Liberaware Co., Ltd.
- Size: about 20 cm long (its compact design lets it enter small gaps that people cannot)
- Main equipment: high-sensitivity camera and high-brightness LED lights for dark places
- Technical features: stable flight even indoors where GPS does not reach and in environments with many obstacles
Main uses: inspecting above ceilings, inside ducts and piping, inside boilers, in underground pits and inside large manufacturing equipment
4. Outlook
Based on what we learned in these tests, HAMABO Co., Ltd. will propose the best labor-saving solutions using drone technology for the challenges manufacturing customers face, such as ensuring safe equipment maintenance, reducing inspection costs and detecting failures early. We will continue to deepen our cooperation with partner companies and contribute to DX and a culture of safety at manufacturing sites in Japan.
5. Inquiries
If you are interested in IBIS2, the drone used in these flight tests, or have challenges with making inspections of narrow and dark spaces more efficient or improving the safety of equipment inspections at your manufacturing site, please feel free to contact us. We also welcome requests for meetings and product demonstrations.
[Contact for This Release and Our Products]
- Company: HAMABO Co., Ltd.
- Website: https://www.hamabo.co.jp/english/
- Department: Field Solution Division / Drone Business
Product page: Cut inspection costs with no scaffolding | IBIS2, the drone for narrow and dark spaces | HAMABO (in Japanese)
[Related Links and Partner Information]
YMG Co., Ltd. official website (in Japanese): https://kk-ymg.co.jp/
YMG news about the flight tests (in Japanese): https://kk-ymg.co.jp/jp-075/
