Toyo Seikan Group started sales in 2023 of SABOT-3, a device using drones for remote jet-spraying using spray cans. By leveraging can production and filling technology cultivated over decades in specialty spray cans and spraying equipment installed on the latest in drones, SABOT-3 gives drones a greater ability to do work, as we do our part in resolving social issues arising from a shrinking workforce in an aging society with a falling birthrate.
Moving up on many fronts, in 2021 we launched SABOT, a product that can discharge a spray can from a drone. Then, in March 2023, we released SABOT-3, which made large strides in developing a safer, easier-to-use model with a larger set of practical applications. SABOT-3 discharges spray from a can attached to a remotely operated drone. The user is given the ability to swap out cans for ones filled with such content as marking material or patch-and-repair spackling.
SABOT-3, gives drones the ability to do more jobs, so that their use is no longer confined to tasks such as aerial photography and inspection of locations where it’s difficult to have a human presence. Rather, they can now assist in work operations and emergency measures, eliciting the new possibilities of drones. We can now use drones in promising applications that contribute to advancing working efficiency and resolving the social challenge presented by a shrinking workforce resulting from an aging, low-birthrate society. We are moving ahead with demonstration trials and implementations by numerous businesses and other entities with an eye on future applications.
In order to increase spray effectiveness using SABOT-3, we have built upon conventional spray cans for such materials as pesticides, paint, and hair products to develop specialty spray cans for drones. These devices enable steady spraying of materials that can be difficult to apply in wind by discharging the materials in a beam spray pattern. In addition to this type of steady spraying, we are enlisting the knowhow and technical prowess of the Group to ensure the safety of all containers and to develop nozzles, with specs provided to ensure safe use.
SABOT-3 received the Audience Award at the Japan Drone & AAM Awards 2023* hosted by the Japan UAS Industrial Development Association (JUIDA). Following advance inspections by a team of specialists and experts, attendees cast their votes during the event for entries selected among products, technologies, and services nominated from all divisions. The award is then conferred upon the entry winning the most votes.
Attendees approached us with great interest, leaving comments such as “a worthwhile product that offers a new useful value” and “a product that exudes safety and perfection build by pros who know containers inside and out.”
* Conducted by each division of JUIDA with the goal of encouraging expansion of the drone industry and to spread the word about superior drone-related products and services, both in Japan and overseas. These honors are bestowed upon products, technologies, services, and new businesses that will mark an innovative future.
Shown from the left;
Shinji Suzuki, President of JUIDA
Soji Araki, Assistant Manager of Toyo Seikan Technical Center
Atsushi Kominami, Toyo Seikan Technical Center