Robot& Drone Inventory

Problem

Reliable service that meets customer expectations and builds their trust is a key success factor in a competitive logistics industry. Even tiny inconsistencies in the assortment resulting from placement errors or inaccurate inventory can disrupt order fulfillment and reduce customer satisfaction. That is why in current conditions of high labor costs automation of processes becomes necessary, making it possible to reduce manual checks and reallocate resources to more important tasks.

Managing a warehouse or distribution center requires regular inventory checks. However, due to the large number of cells (from 20 to 200 thousand), this procedure takes a considerable amount of time.

Furthermore, incorrect pallet placement leads to pallet loss, product write-offs and financial losses as a consequence.

Task

Automate the inventory process.

Solution

Warehouse with narrow aisles allows efficient use of space, but complicates traditional inventory using heavy equipment, such as forklifts. Lightweight and maneuverable drones move easily in cramped conditions and at any altitude, conducting daily inventory checks. They scan cells from floor to ceiling and provide a comprehensive audit of all balances. That is how the system maintains accurate inventory level data in real time, providing continuous monitoring and control over the entire supply chain.

The night vision system autonomously captures high-resolution images of the warehouse, revealing inconsistencies, empty cells, and displaced objects. Operational activities start more efficiently every morning thanks to this solution: operational problems that arose the day before are quickly identified and eliminated, ensuring optimal preparation for a new working day.

The solution also improves occupational safety by reducing the need to perform complex and time-consuming tasks manually.

Robot& team offers an innovative inventory solution based on drones, computer vision and artificial intelligence.

As a result our customers get accurate information about actual balances: product names, quantity and cell numbers. This information is automatically integrated into customers' WMS.

Works great for:

Food industry

Pharmaceutical industry

The beauty and health industry

Chemical industry

Import and export

The solution consists of two components: a drone and a warehouse employee's workstation. The drone is a quadcopter with navigation equipment and onboard camera.

How the solution looks like

Warehouse employee’s automated workplace is a SaaS solution or a package for local installation in customer's private network

Warehouse operator is using web interface to set up an inventory plan:
1. selects a schedule – date / time.
2. selects a zone – the entire warehouse / aisle/ floor/ specific cells.
Can track inventory progress online.
Collected inventory data is grouped in a convenient way, allowing customers to see photos of each cell and a summary analysis of the collected data.

Drone analyzes the condition of the packaging, detecting damage (e.g. hole in the box), identifies voids in the cells and the discrepancy between the actual product information in the WMS.

Technology takes about a week to implement:

The station with the drone is placed in a warehouse.
A digital twin of the warehouse is being created.
Robot& team adapts navigation algorithms to the warehouse infrastructure: cell barcodes, navigation markers.
The solution integrates with the customer's WMS to transfer inventory data in a convenient format: through file exchange or API communication.
The drone is ready for inventory.

WHAT'S UNDER THE HOOD

The software part

A module for creating a digital twin of warehouse basing on floor plan and/or building layout. The information about the actual plan is updated basing on the drone scanning the cells themselves and marking them.
Drone positioning and navigation based on computer vision and artificial intelligence.
Detect obstacles in the drone's field of view to avoid collisions.
Product recognition and classification in cells is based on computer vision and artificial intelligence.
Integration with WMS for transfer of balance data.

WHY WOULD THE CLIENT NEED IT

Saving thousands of employee hours per year on inventory. Balance tracking is 15 times faster than traditional methods.
Reduce manual labor for inventory by 90% with 99.9% accuracy.
Improving the safety of warehouse staff through automated scanning, eliminating high-altitude tasks.

Carry out daily inventory by scanning more than 7,000 pallets per shift by one employee.
Get complete balance information thanks to the ability to simultaneously read multiple barcodes and text recognition.
Launch the drone to inventory a specific warehouse segment, identifying the scanning area by row number, floor, cell, supplier, delivery schedule, or other parameters.
Quickly locate missing items and promptly fix errors in placement, preventing losses.
Use loading and unloading equipment to solve specialized tasks, freeing it from participation in the inventory.

Find the damaged packaging right in the warehouse cell.
Track the pallet's condition over time by comparing photos from different time periods.
Monitor order of goods placement and cleanliness in the warehouse remotely.
Reduce the number of expired products.
Increase efficiency of warehouse space usage by identifying empty cells.

Implementation and use

Don’t require retrofitting warehouses with Wi-Fi points.
Works effectively in dark and narrow passages.
Suits for working in cold rooms. Employees just deliver the drone to warehouse prior to inventory start and then there is no need for them to stay in the cold.
Reliability: less than one case of unplanned maintenance per 50,000 flights.
Quick launch: The solution takes only one week to deploy.

Team of creators and engineers
as passionate about creating and taming artificial intelligence
as about solving our clients' business problems.

Robot& - 7 years of experience automating retail processes in the West using AI, computer vision, and augmented reality.