Rikei (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Satoru Isaka; hereinafter “Rikei”), ACSL Ltd. (Headquarters: Edogawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President: Satoshi Washiya; hereinafter “ACSL”), and VFR Inc. (Head Office: Nagoya-city, Aichi; President and CEO: Kazutaka Yomogita; hereinafter ”VFR”) are pleased to announce the launch of “SOTEN Virtual Trainer,” that was announced its joint development by the companies in May 2022.
In addition, pre-orders start on July 25, 2023, prior to the start of sales at the end of August 2023.

Background of the Development

ACSL’s “SOTEN,” compact aerial photography drone has been used by government agencies, corporations, and municipalities since its launch in December 2021. Under such circumstances, The SOTEN Virtual Trainer has been developed in response to many requests from customers such as “There is no place to fly drone, so I cannot practice drone operation sufficiently.” and “I would like to simulate drone operation for emergencies.” It also supports manual mode operation.

Features of “SOTEN Virtual Trainer”

“SOTEN Virtual Trainer” enables drone operation training in various situations regardless of time and place. By using PCs and proportional controllers(*), it reproduces the same user interface and aircraft performance as actual drone operation and allows training even in small spaces.
Two training modes are available: “Free Flight Mode” for flight training as you like, while “Scenario Mode” that reproduce emergency situations requiring special response so that you can train how to deal with.

Furthermore, we will positively consider extending functions and adding curriculum such as preparation for license in the future.

By the development of “SOTEN Virtual Trainer”, ACSL has significantly improved the training environment for drone pilots, providing safer and more effective operation training. By training with “SOTEN Virtual Trainer,” it is expected that you can improve actual drone operation skills.

※Proportional controller: A transmitter commonly used for drone operation.
“SOTEN Virtual Trainer” employs the same shape of controller as a standard controller of SOTEN.

Product Information

Rikei Corporation

Established in 1957, Rikis a solution vendor in the IT and electronics industries. In the fields of system solutions, network solutions, and electronic components and devices, Rikei provides various solutions based on the world’s most advanced technologies and cutting-edge products. Regarding VR, Rikei is focusing on the development of technology that generate VR space equivalent to the real space, and the technology has been adopted by automobile manufacturers and others.
https://www.rikei.co.jp/en/

ACSL Ltd.

ACSL Ltd. develops Japanese-made industrial drones to realize labor saving and unmanned operations in the industrial field. In particular, the company provides cutting-edge autonomous control technology with image processing and AI edge computing technologies, as well as industrial drones equipped with the technology. ACSL Ltd.’s drones have been adopted in various fields such as infrastructure inspection, postal and logistics services, and disaster prevention.
https://www.acsl.co.jp/en/company/

VFR Inc.

VFR is a drone manufacturer established with the vision of “Opening up possibilities for people and society with our technologies and passion,” providing a full range of services from development support, procurement, contract manufacturing, sales, and maintenance. The company has incorporated knowledges from electrical equipment manufacturers, automobile manufacturers, and aircraft industry, which have supported Japanese industry, and has achieved the highest product safety standards.
https://vfr.co.jp/en/