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AI DRONE FOR WAREHOUSE INVENTORY
Project Summary
Araya's Autonomous Agents team is developing technology that allows drones to fly autonomously based on image information from cameras mounted on the drones (see also this article for more information).
This technology will be used to automate inventory control in logistics warehouses, with the aim of significantly improving the efficiency of tasks that have traditionally been carried out by humans.
Social context of the project
In the logistics industry, further improvement in efficiency is required due to the recent increase in distribution volume and the decrease in the working population caused by the declining birthrate and aging population. In particular, inventory control at distribution warehouses involves work over a wide area and at high elevations, so it is necessary to ensure the safety of workers.
By using autonomous drones for warehouse inventory work, this can be achieved in a short time and at low cost.
Overview of automated inventory drones in development
THE DRONE FLIES AUTONOMOUSLY, TRACING ALL THE BOXES, SCANNING THE BARCODES AND QR CODES ON THE BOXES AND REGISTERING THE INFORMATION INTO THE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
It is expected to save labor, improve inventory accuracy, and shorten the shutdown period for inventory work.
Example of current results: Autonomous flight in a demonstration environment
Boxes with QRs on them are lined up on shelves, and the drone reads those QR codes as it flies over them automatically.
The drone is verified to operate correctly in the simulation environment in advance, and then it can operate in the actual environment (actual drone, shelf, and box) as well.
How an automated inventory drone in development works
THIS SYSTEM USES TWO TYPES OF QR CODES. THE DRONE WILL READ THESE QR CODES AND AUTOMATICALLY FLY AND RECORD THE INVENTORY INFORMATION.
(1) QR CODE FOR NAVIGATING THE ROUTE TO BE FLOWN
THE ROUTE THAT THE DRONE WILL FLY IS SET USING A QR CODE.
(2) QR CODE TO DISPLAY INFORMATION ON INVENTORY
INFORMATION ABOUT THE PRODUCTS IN THE BOX IS STORED IN A QR CODE, AND WHEN THE DRONE READS IT, IT SENDS THE INFORMATION TO THE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
If you try to verify automatic drone flight in a real environment from the beginning, the experiment will take a long time and there is a high risk of damaging the drone if it does not go well.
By testing the drone in a simulation environment beforehand, it is possible to verify the drone efficiently, many times, and with low risk.
Benefits of Automated Inventory Drones in Development
The automated inventory drone that we are promoting at ARAYA has the main advantage over other automated inventory technologies that use AGVs or self-propelled robots, in that it can reduce the cost of introduction and operation.
For the future
Currently, we are developing and verifying the technology of the automated inventory drone in a demonstration environment built in our company, but we hope to proceed with verification in a real environment in the future. We are looking for partner companies in the logistics industry that will work with us to develop solutions using ARAYA's automated inventory drone technology.
