Spiral Inc., a leader in automated indoor drone solutions, opened a new office in Vienna on September 12, 2024 under the name Spiral Europe FlexCo (managing director: Miyu Nishihira). During the weeks, the leading drone manufacturer held a visual drone demonstration in the iconic wooden warehouse in Fischamend, near the Vienna International Airport, in the center of the cargo partner “iLogistics”. Ryuta Mizuuchi, the Japanese ambassador to Austria, also graced the event with his presence, who emphasized the importance of close relations between the two countries and the importance of technological cooperation.
Spiral Inc. is a Japanese company founded in 2016, in which Nippon Express Holdings also has an investment. The cargo partner, which has been a member of the Nippon Express Group since January 2024, significantly strengthens its European presence with its efficient Central and Eastern European network.
This expansion is also a decisive first step in introducing Spiral’s innovative MarkFlex®Air (MFA) navigation system to the European market. Designed for the challenges of non-GPS environments, MFA technology supports large-scale indoor infrastructures such as dams, tunnels, canal systems and other underground structures with autonomous drone monitoring. GPS-independent Spiral drones can operate in remote or near critical locations (such as airports) where GPS signals are generally unreliable.
Miyu Nishihira, Managing Director of Spiral Europe FlexCo, said:
“We were excited to bring our advanced MFA navigation system to Europe. Austria’s mountains and central location make it a perfect hub for our European expansion. We want to contribute to the sustainability of the construction industry by increasing safety, promoting growth and encouraging infrastructural innovation.”
“The cargo partner is proud that all our activities combine innovation and sustainability. The presentation was a perfect example of the combined capabilities of Nippon Express Group, Spiral Europe and the cargo partner”
– said Martin Schenzel, the Austrian managing director of the cargo partner.
Increasing infrastructural security and efficiency
Spiral’s state-of-the-art technology meets the construction industry’s need for safer and more efficient inspection. By minimizing manual inspections, Spiral’s drones offer a solution to skilled labor shortages while improving worker safety and project efficiency. The MFA system, which uses augmented reality (AR) to enable simple, autonomous navigation, real-time video surveillance and data collection – all in a cloud-based system – for fast, data-driven decision-making.
In the next phase of the project, the innovative drone solution plans to expand its sensor technology – depending on the task, with gas sensors, chemical sensors or microphones, among others.
It has already been proven in Japan
With the successful pilot projects and experience behind the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the largest Japanese construction companies, Spiral is sufficiently prepared to expand its activities. In the GO AUSTRIA program of the Global Incubator Network Austria (GIN), Spiral has discovered significant market opportunities in the various tunneling projects of European entrepreneurs and is establishing its base in Vienna as a result.
Source: www.technokrata.hu
