Every business owner faces the annual phenomenon of “inventory.” A task that your employees would rather avoid, as inventory is very labor-intensive. We at Webship also don’t find this the most enjoyable time of the year. In large warehouses, this process is complicated by pallet racks that are difficult to access. Is there no way to make inventory more efficient? A research team from MIT found a solution and developed a drone that takes over the inventory process.
How can a drone do the inventory?
The MIT drone is equipped with an integrated RFID scanner. Of course, you must equip your products with RFID tags. The scanner transmits the product codes to the receiver. Does this mean you don’t need scanners anymore? Yes, you still do! The built-in system works as a relay. Therefore, an original scanner must be present in the warehouse to transmit the information from the built-in RFID scanner to the receiver. This innovative system is called Rfly. It works a bit like Wi-Fi!
A Compact Drone
MIT developed a compact drone because in a warehouse environment, there’s often not much space to maneuver. Since the drone is so small, the device can get much closer to the products. Why can the drone be made this way? Because the heavy RFID scanner is not mounted on the drone, the drone can be built more compactly. The ultimate goal is to have this drone automatically fly along a pre-defined route. This way, you can keep your stock continuously up-to-date without putting much effort into it. Of course, this comes with some additional costs.
Fewer Work Accidents Thanks to Drones!
Have you ever thought that using drones during inventory could reduce work accidents? You no longer need to do awkward things to read or count that one item you just can’t reach. Imagine your employee falling from a shelf with all the consequences, while a drone could have prevented that.
Did You Know Drones Can Also Be Your Security Assistant?
Can you use a drone for other purposes? Of course! A drone can be the perfect partner for monitoring an industrial site or warehouse. A company with a large storage area most likely has fixed cameras. These cameras are continuously monitored by security staff. When an incident occurs, the security staff member goes on-site to check. The distance that needs to be covered is not insignificant. If the intruder notices something and tries to flee before the security staff member arrives, the drone can follow the intruder.
