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Drone found on tracks of shinkansen line

10 Comments

A drone was found on the train tracks of the JR Sanyo Shinkansen in Onomichi, Hiroshima Prefecture on Tuesday. A man who lives nearby came forward later and said that the drone was his.

According to JR officials, the drone was discovered at around 1:15 a.m by a JR West maintenance worker checking the tracks, Fuji TV reported. It was 700 meters from Shin-Onomichi Station. The drone was 20 centimeters long and had a camera on it.

Police said a 26-year-old man came forward at around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and said he had lost control of the drone while flying it.

No shinkansen services were running at the time, JR West said.

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10 Comments
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The hobby of flying RC aircraft has been around for decades and now the paranoid masses are calling them drones and are out with pitch forks and torches demanding they be abolished. For crissakes it was 20cm long.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Indeed, if I may add, do you recall the size of the most advanced video camera of the 1970s? I believe it would be quite the tasks to get that off the ground, perhaps even impassable if we factor in the weight of the old battery technology of that time. The fact is, drones are far advanced compared to your average RC aircrafts. I don't recall any aircraft to have cameras. It may have not de-railed the train as such however it did cause a comotion/inconvenience. Thumbs up for better wording America's tactics.

I believe a similar commotion happened in the USA, on two occasions to be precise, once when a drone got too close or landed on the Whitehouse, another time when one got too close to a plain/runway. I see no problem with Japan making headlines when similar incidents in Japan.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

OH GOOD.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

If a train had hit it the effect would be nothing! 20cm is small enough o fit in most adults hands! It's a toy! Now I would worry more about what this guy was recording at night!

I sence a peeping tom!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

A peeping Tom is probably likely in Japan although it would be "A peeping Hayato" lol

The Pigeon mounted cameras were used for recon in WWII, such technology were not available to the general public. "Micro photography cameras have been available since the 1930s," not the same, every Drone i've come across had Video Camera (Camcorder) as standard.

I can only see such technology used for mischief, one such mischief has already been hinted.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

What is it going to take before the authorities do something meaningful about licensing and limiting drone ownership and use? Forget fines alone. Set strict limits and if they are broken then confiscate the drones and then take up the perpetrator time in community work.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Indeed, if I may add, do you recall the size of the most advanced video camera of the 1970s?

You must be joking. You are talking about recording cameras available in Kmart. I am talking about live feed only.

Plus I said similar, not same. Micro photography cameras have been available since the 1930s, and with a timer snapping pictures it would be similar enough. Pigeon mounted cameras were used for recon in WWII!

Gasoline engine R/C aircraft have been available since before the 1970s. They might have been noisy, but they were powerful and practical.

Basically, all this stuff is old. Its just a new trend to have them all together and commonly available. A general ban is out of the question and knee-jerk.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

6:30 P.M. in October? Yeah. In the twilight I bet he did lose control. Damned fool.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Another useless technology originating from "America's cowardly military strategy", makes its way into the hands of idiots, could have cost lives. Ban it, simple just as we in the UK have banned segway. (Another useless invention that's not helping the increasing obesity crisis that hit much of the wealthy regions.)

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Strategist its just a glorified RC aircraft with a camera. Something similar could have been built with 1970s technology if there was any will to do so. Calm down. No one could have died. And its nothing to do whatsoever with America's cowardly armed unmanned aircraft program.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

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