TOKYO, September 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC. acquired a stake in Spiral Inc., a Japanese startup providing non-SLAM control systems (*1) that enable indoor autonomous drone navigation, on August 23 through an investment from the NX Global Innovation Fund.
Logo Spiral : https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202408225244-O2-J90x3T1C
Logo NX : https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202408225244-O1-dFySdMhm
Spiral Profile
Spiral is a startup developing the MarkFlex (R) Air (*2) autonomous flight control system for drones, which is specialized for indoor use. While ordinary drones use GPS and sensors to navigate while referring to a pre-established map of a facility, drones equipped with Spiral’s technology can navigate in areas without radio reception by following routes entered via dedicated software and recognizing QR codes on walls. Spiral is working on using this technology for periodic inspections at tunnel construction sites and dam inspection corridors, as part of its mission to “become the savior of on-site technicians through the introduction of autonomous drones flying inside buildings.” Currently aiming forEurope With its huge tunnel construction market, the company plans to establish a local subsidiary in Vienna, Austria by the end of 2024.
Context and investment objectives
NX Group is committed to increasing corporate value and solving social issues in order to achieve its long-term vision of becoming a “logistics company with a strong presence in the global market.” Through this investment, NX Group companies will team up with cargo-partner, a Vienna-based company that became a subsidiary of the Group in January 2024, to support Spiral’s expansion abroad, for example by transporting and delivering drone-related equipment and storing it locally, and to promote the use of drones at logistics sites. The Group will also increase its contact points with the European construction and construction equipment industries through Spiral, develop new logistics solutions and discover new needs.
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NX Group will continue to address social issues through co-creation of businesses with startups in Japan and overseas, and contribute to the establishment of sustainable societies where all individuals can lead comfortable and fulfilling lives.
Profile of the company held
Company Name: Spiral Inc.
Social Seat Location: Horikiri 2-49-2, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo
Year of creation: 2016
Representative : Tomohiro Ishikawa
Capital: 100 million yen
Number of employees: 20 (as of June 2024)
Company Description: Development of autonomous flight control systems for drones in non-GPS environments
Site Internet : https://spiral-robotics.com/en/
*1: SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is a technology that allows both to estimate where one is on a map (self-positioning estimation) and to determine the surrounding environment (environmental mapping).
*2: A system that enables autonomous flight of a drone using markers indoors or in other environments that radio waves cannot reach; Spiral has patented the control unit and the markers.
About NX Group:
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202408225244-O1-tj60e1y4.pdf
NX Group Official Website: https://www.nipponexpress.com/
NX Group Official LinkedIn Account: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nippon-express-group/
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