Actel Robotics LLC
Implements Corvus One autonomous inventory systems and manages the deployment lifecycle from site survey through integration and ongoing optimization.
What are Inventory Drones?
Inventory drones are an exciting new development in the arena of warehouse automation. They are one of the least capital intensive ways to get new robotic technology into the warehouse and they can have a significant impact on reserve pallet inventory accuracy.
Drones are used to fly around pallet reserve storage locations and compare actual pallet occupancy to expected occupancy information from your WMS system. When a discrepancy is observed the location is flagged for human intervention. For example a pallet in a position that was expected to be empty, or an unoccupied location that was expected to have a pallet in it would trigger such a flag.
You may think “my operators are scanning the pallets into and out of reserve locations” so our reserve inventory is accurate. This might be true. But more often than not, someone may accidentally scan the correct location but place the pallet above or below the intended location.
Then along comes another operator, and they intentionally scan the indicated location but place the pallet in a nearby empty location. Pretty soon you have a cascading issue of misplaced pallets. When someone goes to retrieve one of these pallets, they waste valuable time search of the missing load. Worst case, it is not found in time and orders get shorted.
Implementing a drone solution is a relatively easy project in comparison to some of the other robotic projects. Integration in one way, typically only involving a download of reserve pallet positions from the WMS. The payback for such systems is often less than a year.
Clients wishing to learn more about drone technology and the vendors that provide solutions can access the drone section in their client portal.
Autonomous Drones
Inventory Towers
Piloted Drones
Tethered Drones
Aeriu Smart Solutions Ltd.
Warehouse staff pilot commercial drones to collect rack imagery; Aeriu Cloud analyzes labels and stock positions and compares results with warehouse master data.
B GARAGE
Builds autonomous drones and software to digitize warehouse inventory without pilots, prior maps, beacons, or major infrastructure changes.
Cisper Electronics B.V.
Supplied the RFID reader development kit used in a pilot that processed 80 million tag reads across 1.25 million items during 1,500 Verity drone flights.
Corvus Robotics
Custom drones with onboard vision and AI scan pallet locations continuously, categorize discrepancies, and connect to WMS data while operating around live warehouse activity.
Cypher Robotics
The ground robot navigates warehouse aisles while a tethered drone rises along racks to scan barcodes, QR codes, RFID, and infrastructure, integrating results into WMS/WES/WCS systems.
Dane Technologies
The 14.1-ft AiR DC autonomous robot uses configurable Cognex readers, 3D LiDAR, and BrainOS to scan high-bay barcodes or RFID, dock and recharge, and deliver exceptions through Dane AirViewer.
Darwin Drones SAS / EYESEE
Combines drones, a field application, and cloud software to automate pallet-rack inventory, process barcode data, and integrate with WMS/ERP systems.
Dexory
A tall autonomous mobile robot scans high-bay pallet locations and feeds DexoryView with location, condition, space-utilization, and exception data. Dexory states its robots can scan up to 10,000 pallet locations per hour.
DJI
Off-the-shelf drones provide cameras, flight control, and SDK access used by integrators to capture barcode and label imagery inside warehouses.
doks. solution GmbH
doks.inventairy autonomously records, processes, and visualizes high-bay inventory in real time; adjacent products extend capture to outdoor stock and dock operations.
DroneLeaf
Provides flight control, mission planning, fleet management, AI perception, and integration tools that manufacturers and integrators can use to build autonomous warehouse drones.
DroneScan
Builds warehouse stocktake hardware and software with live scan feedback, camera inspection, integration to SAP/Sage/Syspro/WMS platforms, and AI-assisted reporting.
Dronomy S.L.
WareCopter is designed to navigate complex indoor environments, automate inventory capture, apply AI analytics, and integrate with existing WMS platforms.
Dronus S.p.A.
Supplied the autonomous drone and docking system used in a 5G-connected warehouse inventory demonstration, with potential expansion to broader manufacturing sensing.
Ericsson
Provides private cellular networks that maintain connectivity for Captis and supported a 5G mmWave autonomous-drone inventory demonstration in an Ericsson factory.
Gather AI
Computer vision enables supported drones to fly autonomously, read labels and case information, compare observations with WMS records, and surface inventory discrepancies.
GEODIS
Co-developed Countbot with Delta Drone, integrated inventory results into warehouse systems, and used the system for annual and cycle-counting services.
GreyOrange
GreyOrange develops Ranger Goods-to-Person; GreyMatter; rack-based fulfillment systems for automated storage and retrieval of cases, totes, bins, trays, or parts, improving storage density, inventory accuracy, throughput, and worker safety.
HACARUS INC.
Built and tested AI models using YCH drone footage to detect and count cartons on pallets, reduce counting time, and support WMS verification.
Hardis Group
Provided logistics know-how, warehouse applications, control interfaces, data processing, and WMS context in the original EYESEE development program.
InDro Robotics Inc.
Helped incubate, develop, and test Captis and invested in Cypher Robotics, supporting the integration of a tethered drone with an autonomous ground vehicle.
Infinium Robotics Pte. Ltd.
Infinium Scan autonomously navigates warehouse aisles, scans stock, and uses a tethered ground robot for continuous power, safety, and fleet operation.
Marvelmind Robotics / Marvelmind OÜ
Boxie Scanner Large autonomously navigates warehouse aisles and reads barcodes and QR codes up to 12 m high. The system relies on Marvelmind's installed indoor-positioning infrastructure for precise navigation.
ModalAI, Inc.
Builds the Starling 2 Logis drone and VOXL 2 compute/autopilot used by Gather AI for autonomous warehouse inventory data collection.
Parrot Drones SAS
ANAFI Ai supplies 4G connectivity, obstacle avoidance, cameras, and an open software platform for Tinamu's autonomous indoor monitoring missions.
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Its robotics processor and 5G modem platform powered onboard compute and connectivity for the Dronus warehouse high-rack inventory demonstration.
RAWview Drone Systems Ltd.
Deploys autonomous inventory drones, reconciles physical pallet locations against WMS/ERP records, and provides evidence-backed inventory assurance alongside live operations.
ShelfSupervisor B.V.
Provides rapid inventory verification using AI-assisted image processing, with an emphasis on finding discrepancies and recovering inventory value without replacing the customer's WMS.
Skydio, Inc.
Skydio autonomous drones were used by Ware to capture warehouse inventory imagery; the Ware platform was acquired by Gather AI in 2023.
Squadrone System
Co-developed EYESEE beginning in 2015 and supplied the custom drone, flight controller, and industrial drone expertise used by the legacy inventory system.
Telit Cinterion
The FN980m data card handled the drone's native 5G mmWave connection in the autonomous warehouse inventory demonstration.
Tinamu Labs AG
Automates repeatable indoor flights and converts drone and LiDAR data into traceable volumetric inventory records for metals, minerals, and bulk-material facilities.
Tonner Drones S.A. (formerly Delta Drone)
COUNTBOT combines a stabilized ground robot and tethered aerial drone for rapid barcode or RFID inventory counts with operator supervision.
UVIONIX
U-Vee drones autonomously scan warehouse locations and stream inventory, safety, and operational observations into Uvionix.Cloud for alerts, analytics, and historical review.
UVL Robotics
Provides AI-driven drone inventory counting as a service, using proprietary autonomous systems to scan pallets quickly in conventional and deep-freeze facilities.
Vecros Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
WareView combines autonomous indoor flight, barcode and image capture, analytics, and WMS integration for warehouse inventory management.
Verity AG
Purpose-built indoor drones collect high-frequency inventory data and feed Warehouse IQ for discrepancy management, digital-twin visibility, and integration with warehouse systems.
Vimaan Robotics, Inc.
StorTRACK Air scanned high-bay racks autonomously, but Vimaan replaced the drone architecture with lift-truck and MHE-mounted vision while retaining inventory analytics.
Ware Robotics, Inc.
Developed autonomous warehouse flights and machine-learning inventory analytics using commercial drones; its team, assets, and customers were folded into Gather AI.
werob / CITO GmbH
Structures warehouse drone deployments, data flows, regulatory support, and connections to existing systems through the wedrone business unit.
Zebra Technologies Corporation
Three Zebra PL 5000 scanners in the EYESEE Legacy drone captured pallet and location barcodes at warehouse-rack heights.
ZEXO AI LLC
Developing barcode, label, and location analysis plus warehouse-data reconciliation, with a roadmap toward deeper autonomy and proprietary hardware.
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