- Verity drones can scan 1,000 RFID tags per second with a precision rate of 99.9%
- RFID compatible drones improve visibility and monitoring of articles in real time beyond traditional door systems
- Technology manages tasks at low priority, ensuring that human roles remain safe for the moment, but the future is uncertain
Verity, ON, and Maersk have recently collaborated to reorganize warehouse operations thanks to a combination of drones fueled by AI and RFID technology.
Developed by Verity in Zurich, Switzerland, autonomous drones navigate independently of warehouse paths while scanning RFID tags with precision.
The pilot project aims to improve stock monitoring by integrating these two advanced systems, allowing greater visibility, control and monitoring of articles in real time beyond traditional RFID door systems, thus deleting the need for intervention human.
The power of drones improved by RFID
Traditional RFID systems are based on fixed readers, limiting their ability to effectively follow stocks. By incorporating RFID into Verity drones, warehouses, warehouses can now benefit from a fully autonomous mobile stock monitoring solution.
Drones can scan up to 1,000 elements marked by RFID per second, reaching a precision rate of 99.9%.
To validate the efficiency of this technology, Verity, On and Maersk conducted trials in a high volume warehouse in California. More than 1,500 drone flights were completed and the system has successfully completed 80 million RFID readings and followed 1.25 million individual labels over a period of three months.
“At Maersk, we are committed to taking advantage of the progress of logistics through advanced technologies,” said Jason Walker, head of North American MAERSK contractual logistics.
“The exploration of RFID compatible drones in our warehouses testifies to our dedication to innovation and operational excellence,” he continued. “Above all, this technology improves the capabilities of our team, allowing them to focus on more strategic tasks and driving continuous improvement.”
The rapid advancement in warehouse automation raises concerns concerning the future of human work in the sector. Verity’s system reduces labor requirements to 92% for stock control tasks.
However, the impact on the overall employment of the warehouse is more complex. Automation has historically completed labor shortages rather than fully replaced jobs. In many cases, human workers prioritize essential tasks, leaving stock monitoring as a lower priority. The new drones fed in AI fulfill this role, guaranteeing precise surveillance of stocks without affecting other warehouse functions.
“By merging the AI, the collection of autonomous data on a large scale and the RFID, we fill the gap between the digital and physical worlds to offer complete visibility between the supply chains,” said the CEO of Verity, Andrea Raffaello.
It can be warehouses will evolve in larger and entirely autonomous spaces, where the machines manage all aspects of operations and tens of thousands of jobs will be lost. Technically, human jobs are sure because this technology manages lower priority tasks, but it can be a sign of things to come.
