cargo-partner GmbH (hereinafter "cargo-partner"), a group company of NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC., conducted a drone flight demonstration at its warehouse in Fischamend, Austria, on Thursday, September 12 in collaboration with Spiral Inc., a portfolio company of the NX Global Innovation Fund.

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202409256968-O3-7lc6e1le

Scenes from demonstration

Image 1: https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202409256968/_prw_PI2fl_Wo438W20.jpg

Image 2:

https://cdn.kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M103866/202409256968/_prw_PI1fl_4046bZN4.jpg

Spiral is a startup company developing an autonomous indoor-specific drone flight system called MarkFlex(R)Air* that will allow drones to fly autonomously in GPS-denied indoor environments such as tunnels, dams and sewer systems.

The company will bring this innovative solution to the European infrastructure industry by opening a new office in Vienna, Austria, home to some of the world's leading construction companies and prestigious universities with expertise in civil engineering.

The NX Group actively supports startup companies that aspire to grow their businesses on a global scale. Accordingly, the Group recently built a drone demo flight environment in collaboration with cargo-partner, an Austria-based company, and conducted a demonstration of the MarkFlex(R)Air accurately and autonomously flying specified routes within a warehouse. The Group plans to use the knowledge gained from the demonstration flights to automate and improve the efficiency of logistics sites by incorporating drone technology.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Austria Ryuta Mizuuchi witnessed the demonstration and expressed his expectations for further collaboration and technical cooperation between the two countries.

Both Spiral and cargo-partner spoke enthusiastically about their commitment to bringing about sustainable societies, with the former declaring "MarkFlex(R)Air is a technology that will revolutionize the infrastructure inspection process, making it safer and more efficient. We look forward to contributing to the sustainability of Europe's social infrastructure," and the latter commenting, "This demonstration is a wonderful initiative for cargo-partner and the rest of the NX Group as well as Spiral. We are proud to contribute to innovation and sustainability."

The NX Group will continue tackling social issues through business co-creation with startup companies in Japan and overseas, and helping realize sustainable societies where all people can lead affluent and fulfilling lives.

* A system that enables autonomous drone flight by using markers indoors and in other environments where radio waves cannot reach; Spiral has obtained patents for the control unit and markers.

About Spiral Inc.:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202409256968-O1-LS2es52U.pdf

About cargo-partner:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202409256968-O2-HV8gmi5j.pdf

About the NX Group:

https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202409256968-O3-PR902amm.pdf

NX Group official website: https://www.nipponexpress.com/

NX Group's official LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nippon-express-group/