KarunaNews Story

Japan’s largest telco, NTT, Inc. has succeeded in using drones to trigger and guide lightning, marking a world-first achievement. While triggering lightning itself has been done before, NTT's use of drones to control lightning represents a dramatic shift in how countries could defend their cities, people, and critical systems from natural disasters. In Japan alone, annual damage to infrastructure and property is estimated at between ¥100 billion and ¥200 billion. Researchers moved a drone into position under an active thundercloud. The drone was then connected to the ground via a high-voltage switch to trigger a lightning discharge. “What makes our work unique," says Atsushi Nagao, senior researcher at NTT Space Environment and Energy Laboratories, "is that we’re designing this technology for practical use—to protect people and infrastructure.” NTT also is exploring whether lightning can be harnessed as a renewable energy source.