Drone pilot overcomes learning disability in Japan

Why this is here: He began experimenting with drone technology as a middle school student, sourcing parts from overseas websites and building the devices himself.

髙梨智樹, a 27-year-old drone pilot living in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, appears in the credits of several recent films and television shows. He began building drones after discovering them online, motivated by a childhood learning disability and cyclical vomiting that limited his school attendance.

As an elementary student, he rarely attended school and spent time on his computer. He learned to type in Roman letters to participate in online game chats. Later, he discovered text-to-speech software and used it to help with his learning challenges.

髙梨 participated in “DO-IT Japan,” a project that aims to develop social leaders from children and young people with disabilities and illnesses. The project will welcome its 20th cohort in 2026. He still grapples with the challenges of traditional paper-based learning, preferring to absorb knowledge through computers.