Japan’s Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) has unveiled an innovative drone-based lightning guidance system, marking a world-first in the field. This cutting-edge technology is designed not to prevent lightning but to redirect it safely away from crucial infrastructures. As detailed in their announcement, the system is poised to protect urban centers and essential facilities following successful field trials.
Lightning strikes in Japan lead to significant annual financial losses, estimated between 100 and 200 billion Yen (about 1.4 billion USD). Beyond monetary impact, lightning poses substantial risks to human life and safety. Traditional lightning rods often fall short, especially in challenging installations like wind turbines, propelling NTT to innovate this novel system.
The experimental setup by NTT involves assessing lightning risks using ground-based electric field observations. Upon detecting increased risk, a specially designed drone ascends. During a test on December 13, 2024, the drone rose 300 meters with a ground-connected cable and successfully “attracted” a lightning strike.
In this test, the drone sustained a substantial electrical discharge and continued to operate, thanks to its protective cage. Pre-test lab evaluations confirmed the drones’ capacity to withstand discharges up to 150,000 amps. Looking forward, NTT aims not only to refine lightning prediction capabilities but also to research methods for the safe energy storage of directed lightning strikes.
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