NTT Group's Japanese lightning-guiding drone: How it works and what it means for thunderstorm protection

Last update: 06/05/2025
Author Isaac
  • Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) has developed a drone capable of inducing, capturing, and redirecting lightning strikes using an advanced Faraday cage and active electric field control.
  • Testing at Shimane has validated that the system supports downloads up to 150 kiloamps and allows lightning to be guided safely to ground, overcoming the limitations of traditional lightning rods.
  • This breakthrough opens the door to flexible protection of critical infrastructure, mass-events, and natural environments, as well as intelligent lightning energy management.

Japanese drone that directs lightning

Lightning protection is about to experience a revolution thanks to a technological breakthrough that emerged in Japan, where the multinational NTT Group has successfully created the world's first drone capable of inducing, capturing, and redirecting atmospheric lightning discharges in a controlled manner. This development places Japanese engineering at the forefront of the world, pointing to a future where thunderstorms will no longer be an uncontrollable danger to cities, infrastructure, and people.

This achievement has been made possible by a combination of cutting-edge technologies in robotics, physics and advanced materials, allowing flying drones to not only survive a direct lightning strike, but also control the point of discharge and potentially harness some of that energy. We delve into all the details about how this system works, what impact it can have, and where the research is headed, based on the most up-to-date and comprehensive information available to date.

The problem of lightning and the limits of traditional lightning rods

Thunderstorms pose a significant risk worldwide, and especially in Japan, where lightning causes economic damage ranging between €1.000 billion and €2.000 billion each year. Beyond material damage, these phenomena cause fires, power outages, destruction of electronic equipment, and even fatalities, affecting areas from rural areas to large cities. Conventional lightning protection systems are based on fixed lightning rods, designed more than two hundred years ago. While they are effective in buildings and urban structures, they have fundamental limitations: they cannot be installed everywhere (for example, large esplanades, wind farms, or outdoor events) and their range of action is limited.

A conventional lightning rod only provides protection in specific areas and requires grounding, which is not always feasible in critical infrastructure, remote power plants, or large buildings. Furthermore, the growth of renewable energy installations and urban developments in areas with high electricity activity increases exposure and demands more flexible and efficient solutions.

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In this context, The emergence of drones as mobile aerial platforms capable of inducing and guiding lightning strikes to safe points represents a disruptive leap in the management of risks associated with electrical discharges.

NTT Group drone in operation

The Japanese drone: an unprecedented breakthrough in inducing and redirecting lightning

The project, led by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), marks the first time worldwide that a drone has been successfully used to induce, capture, and monitor the path of a natural lightning strike during a real thunderstorm. The drone was specifically developed as a kind of "flying lightning rod," with key innovations that allow it to withstand extremely high-intensity electrical surges and manipulate its surroundings to attract the surge toward itself.

On December 13, 2024, in the Hamada Mountains (Shimane Prefecture, Japan), at an altitude of 900 meters, the drone managed to unleash and induce a lightning strike on its structure under natural conditions. This demonstration not only validates the viability of the technology but also initiates a paradigm shift in protection against one of nature's most destructive phenomena.

How does this drone work? Capture, protection, and control technologies

Lightning drone metal cage detail

The secret of this innovation lies in the combination of several technological layers applied to the drone:

  • Advanced Faraday Cage: The drone is protected by a special metal structure that acts like a Faraday cage. This means that if lightning strikes, the electrical energy is distributed across the metal surface and does not penetrate the internal electronic components. Even after receiving shocks of up to 150 kiloamps—five times the intensity of an average lightning strike—the drone remains functional. In tests, the cage suffered some surface melting, but the drone continued flying without failure.
  • Spike antennas: Located at the top, these antennas increase the probability of attracting and capturing lightning, acting as active baits that replicate the principle of lightning rods but in motion.
  • High-strength conductor cable: The drone carries a cable over 300 meters long that connects it directly to the ground via a high-voltage switch. When the electric field is optimal, the cable is activated, establishing an extreme potential difference between the drone and the ground, creating a "highway" for the lightning to travel from the cloud to the drone and, from there, to solid ground in a controlled manner.
  • Active electric field control: Using sensors such as field mills, the system monitors the electrical environment, detecting the ideal moment to raise the drone and activate the shock induction.
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During the experiments, the drone was able to detect sudden changes in the intensity of the electric field, anticipating the formation of lightning. When the voltage exceeded 2.000 volts, the ground system was activated, and seconds later, the lightning struck the drone, which withstood the shock and remained operational.

Experimental results and large-scale validation

Japanese drone experiment attracting lightning

The tests carried out between December 2024 and January 2025 in Shimane have been conclusive: The drones withstood natural lightning strikes, guided the lightning to a safe location, and their protection suffered only superficial damage. Pops, blue flashes, and partial melting of the cage were observed, but the system remained operational.

The experiment is considered an international pioneer, as it successfully guided real lightning using only sensors, advanced materials, and remote control protocols. Experience proves that it is feasible to replace fixed lightning rods with much more adaptive and effective mobile systems, opening up new options for preventing extreme weather hazards.

The combination of sensors, wired control, and an advanced shield makes the drone an "air channel" capable of neutralizing the threat of lightning in critical environments, both urban and natural.

Advantages and practical applications of lightning-hunting drones

NTT Drone Applications for Lightning

The use of these drones is not limited to preventing damage to infrastructure, but opens up new avenues for intelligent energy management and civil protection. Its main applications include:

  • Protection of critical infrastructure: Power plants, substations, chemical plants, wind or solar farms, and data centers, which suffer extensive lightning damage and where the installation of fixed lightning rods is difficult or insufficient.
  • Mass events and open spaces: Festivals, concerts, sports competitions, and rural areas can benefit from a network of mobile drones that, when there is a risk of storms, can move to critical areas to capture unloading in a controlled manner, away from crowds and expensive equipment.
  • Urban and peri-urban environments: Where human and material risks require a flexible and rapid solution, the drone fleet can be deployed instantly and redirect lightning to pre-designated safe areas.
  • Energy use: NTT's research explores ways to capture and store some of the energy generated by lightning strikes for future use, although this aspect is still in the theoretical phase given the enormous technical challenge of managing such quantities of energy.
Do you want to learn how to play Realm Royale if you are a beginner? Realm Royale has quickly become one of the most popular battle royale games. Although the game is still in Alpha version and is frequently updated, it already has all the elements of a full game. As Fortnite continues to dominate the world of Battle Royale and gaming in general, Realm Royale has arrived to offer different features than other games in order to differentiate itself and become unique. If you're looking to get started in the game or have played it before but want to better understand the various unique elements of Realm Royale, we've put together a beginner's guide to help you get the hang of it all. image The Basics Battlegrounds, Realm Royale is a Battle Royale developed by Hi-Rez Studio of Paladins, a first-person shooter (FPS) game with classes similar to Overwatch. The basic form of Realm Royale will be familiar to anyone who has played a battle royale before. The game features a huge map and starts by having all players fly around allowing them to choose where they want to land. Most of the core mechanics of Battle Royale apply to this game. The goal is to survive longer, searching for equipment to upgrade your character as the battlefield shrinks with the death zone. In Realm Royale, the fog is closing in. With its original Paladins roots, Realm Royale brings a class system to Battle Royale mode. It's not like PUBG or Fortnite, where all players start out equal, unarmed, and all weapons are available to all players. In Realm Royale there are different classes with different skills. Unlike Paladins, where there are unique heroes with distinct personalities, Realm Royale uses a classic RPG-style class system. Players can choose from five different classes at the start of the game, each with different abilities. They are warrior, engineer, assassin, magician and hunter. One feature that is very reminiscent of Paladins are the mounts. In fact, you can use a mount to move faster on the map. Staying Alive There are different ways to keep your character alive in Realm Royale. Each player starts with 1200 health and there is no way to increase that number. But to make yourself more durable, you can collect armor. Armor will give you extra health on top of your health and your shield's maximum capacity depends on the weapon you have picked up. When you have the full set of the best armor, you can have a maximum of 1200 shield points. Your armor and health can be regenerated with potions or flasks dropped by warriors if you play as this character or your teammate has it. Like other Battle Royale games, there is an upgrade mechanic. In this case, you will become a chicken and can only run until it expires, is finished off, or is saved by a teammate. Gearing and Crafting Like most Battle Royale games, Realm Royale focuses primarily on collecting gear to equip your character for battle. At the start of a game, you will look for locations with boxes containing weapons, potions, and abilities for your character. The gear comes in different rarities (in order): white, green, purple, and orange. The rarer the item, the stronger it is and this applies to skills, but also weapons and armor. Equipment can be found by eliminating enemies. Every item the enemy had on him will be left on the ground after his elimination but you will only be able to pick up items that correspond to your class. Forge The best gear, even if you have to forge. There are forges all over the map where players can make health or armor potions. But also legendary armor, legendary abilities, and a legendary weapon. Using a forge will ask you for shards which can be obtained by disenchanting items you don't need. But it also takes time, 30 or 60 seconds depending on what you want to create. During this time, you will need to stay near the forge and other players will be able to see that the forge is running, so this will alert them that someone is nearby. Legendary weapons require the most resources to forge, 120 shards and a chicken nugget which can be obtained by eliminating another player. They can also be enchanted with an element such as fire, lightning, or ice. Fire deals additional damage over time and reduces health regeneration, lightning reveals enemies behind cover, and ice slows them. Forging Options: • Health Potions (3) - Cost: 30 Shards. Time: 30 seconds • Armor Potions (3) - Cost: 30 Fragments. Time: 30 seconds • Legendary Armor Piece (Random) - Cost: 60 Fragments. Time: 60 seconds • Legendary Skill - Cost: 90 Fragments. Time: 60 seconds • Legendary Weapon: Costs 120 Shards, 1 Chicken Nugget. Time: 60 seconds Classes So, there are 5 different classes available in Realm Royale: Warrior, Engineer, Assassin, Mage and Hunter. While all classic weapons and potions are available to all classes, each class's different abilities create different playstyles. Each class has a total of 6 skills. These skills can be upgraded throughout the game, increasing their power and decreasing their cooldown. 2 of them are unlocked by default and are of the same nature for each class: a passive skill and a movement skill. The other 4 skills are more powerful and diverse, but are not unlocked immediately. Instead, these skills are found as weapons, armor, and potions. Only 2 abilities can be equipped at a time. Each class also has a Legendary Weapon, a very powerful weapon unique to each class, which can only be equipped through a Forge or by eliminating an enemy of the same class who already had the Legendary Weapon. Legendary weapons are the deadliest in the game, but they have certain drawbacks in certain situations. This means that it is always good to have a secondary weapon in addition to the legendary weapon. Legendary weapons are what make playstyles differ between classes. Warrior The Warrior's healing and shield repair abilities make him a good pick for those playing in groups, as he can be helpful to allies. It's also great for those new to the game. On the downside, it is a bit weaker than other damage-focused classes. Default Abilities: • Passive: Gain 5 health per second. • Movement: Heroic Jump: Jump a great distance and height. This ability deals damage on impact if you land on an enemy. Advanced Abilities: • Vial of Healing: Throw a vial that heals allies. The vial can also heal you if you throw it at your feet. • Potion of Protection: Throw a flask that repairs shields. It works the same as the Vial of Healing. • Net Shot: Throws a net that temporarily reduces the movement speed of enemies. • Charge: Run a short distance and deal damage to enemies in your path. • Legendary Weapon: Battle Axe The Battle Axe is an unlimited-use projectile weapon that deals increased damage when thrown from a distance. With a fairly low speed, it is difficult to use well from a distance, but the damage is enormous. Engineer While the other classes are dynamic, the Engineer is good at organizing a defensive base or helping to clear out another enemy base. In the end, positioning is really important as an engineer, especially when the fog is clearing. If you are in a position where enemies will be forced to find you, you will have the advantage. But if you get caught outside, the other classes will be better equipped for the duel than you. Default Abilities: • Passive: Gain 5 potion points per second. • Movement: Push - A large vertical jump. Advanced Abilities: • Barricade: Deploy a barricade that blocks enemy fire for a short period of time. • Turret Deployment: Deploy two turrets that will automatically target nearby enemies. • Fire Bomb: Throws a napalm bomb that leaves an area of ​​fire for a short time. • Healing Totem: Deploy a totem that heals you and your allies. • Legendary Weapon: Plasma Launcher The Plasma Launcher is basically a grenade launcher, firing projectiles that explode on impact. While other legendary weapons require more precision, the Plasma Thrower deals damage in an area of ​​effect, which is its strength but also its weakness. You can use it in close quarters or behind cover and it can be very powerful against groups of enemies, but perhaps not as much as other legendary weapons. Assassin As expected, the Assassin relies on a mix of stealth and speed in combat to surprise his enemies. In melee combat, the Assassin best uses his abilities to disorient and prevent enemies from touching each other. But they are used more from a distance to take out enemies once they unlock their legendary weapon. Default Abilities: • Passive: Gain 10% forward speed. • Movement: Blink: Teleports a short distance. Advanced Abilities: • Shock Bomb: Throw a bomb that knocks back enemies or pushes you forward. • Ghost Walk: You become untargetable and increase your movement speed, removing all debuffs. • Sensory Drone: Deploys a drone that reveals nearby enemies. • Smoke Screen: Creates a smoke screen that blocks enemies' vision and makes you stealthy. • Legendary Weapon: Sniper Rifle The sniper rifle is the most powerful weapon in the game, a headshot will surely get you the kill unless the enemy has maxed out legendary armor. But this is not practical during melee combat because you will have to reload after each shot. Mage While most classes rely heavily on their legendary weapon, the Mage's true power comes from their skills, which offer combinations that can be lethal with skill and precision. Default Abilities: • Passive: You gain 30% effectiveness on potions. • Movement: Fly: Allows the wizard to fly for a short period of time. Advanced Abilities: • Explosive Vial: Throw a vial that explodes on impact, dealing damage and slowing enemies. • Fireball: Throws a fireball that deals damage to enemies. • Ice Block: Get trapped in ice for a short time, heals you, you are invincible but you cannot move. • Wall: Creates a wall from the ground. It can be used as cover and to launch the mage into the air if it hits him. • Legendary Weapon: Slingshot The slingshot is an explosive weapon that can deal massive damage if you hit all three projectiles. While other legendary weapons deal a lot of damage with a single projectile, the slingshot throws 3, so if you miss one or two, you'll still deal damage. And the wizard also has other abilities that deal damage. Hunter If you're an FPS specialist looking for a class, the Hunter might be for you. If you have excellent accuracy, especially with projectiles, the Hunter is a class that can be extremely lethal. Those who prefer to play smart rather than rely on mechanics will feel much more comfortable with other classes. Default Abilities: • Passive: Gain 10% speed when reloading and switching weapons. • Movement: Roll in the direction of your choice. Advanced Abilities: • Explosive Shot: Launches an explosive projectile. • Torch: Fires a torch that reveals nearby enemies. • Proximity Mine: Sets a mine that explodes when an enemy is nearby. • Retreat: Retreat and enter stealth mode. It can be used defensively as an escape but also to hunt using the opposite direction to the one you want. • Legendary Weapon: Bow As expected, the Hunter's Bow is a projectile weapon. The bow can fire immediately, but there is a short charge time for the arrows to deal maximum damage. The bow, at maximum damage, does a lot of damage and fires a fast projectile. It is devastating in the hands of a master. Conclusion As you can see, these are some of the techniques of the Realm Royale characters. There is a lot more to learn about this game, but with these basics you can get started.
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In addition, these platforms can be integrated with systems of Artificial Intelligence to optimize storm prediction and plan the autonomous deployment of drones, increasing urban and rural resilience to unpredictable weather events.

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Technical challenges and next steps in research

Although the results are promising, there are still significant challenges before these systems reach widespread use. One of the main ones is the cost of manufacturing and maintaining drones, which require advanced materials and extremely rigorous safety protocols. Flying drones during a storm requires strict regulations and ensuring the safety of reliability against successive lightning strikes, in addition to automating GPS navigation and ensuring sufficient flight autonomy.

Resistance to multiple shocks is another challenge, as while experiments show that a drone can survive a direct impact, durability against repeated shocks is still under study. NTT is working on new materials for Faraday cages and developing solutions to maximize the lifespan and efficiency of these devices.

As to storage In terms of energy, the main difficulty lies in the lack of batteries capable of storing the massive amount of energy from a lightning strike and gradually releasing it into conventional power grids. However, the parallel development of new storage technologies keeps this futuristic possibility alive.

It is expected that in five to ten years we could see fleets of lightning-hunting drones integrated into emergency systems, civil defense, and industrial plant protection in areas prone to thunderstorms.