Warehouse Drone Passes Proof-of-Concept Test

A 5G mmWave Drone use has passed its proof-of-concept test, meaning it represents the first step toward production use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in a manufacturing environment – a new milestone in the integration of 5G technology into industrial processes.

It won’t be ready for prime time in warehouses in the foreseeable future, but it does give the industrial real estate community a glimpse into future technologies and how they will remake supply chains.

The technology was demonstrated at the Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory, showcasing the potential for autonomous barcode scanning using drones for inventory management in certain types of warehouses.

Although the 5G drone test serves as proof of concept, it is not currently intended to address the needs of the USA 5G Smart Factory. The demo was focused on showcasing the potential of natively mmWave commercial-ready 5G devices for inventory management in warehouse settings.

The autonomous, natively 5G mmWave connected drone performed indoor missions within the Ericsson factory. Starting with autonomous inventory checks in the factory’s warehouse high racks, the drone’s indoor-optimized flight control, 5G connected Nest docking station, and live video streaming cameras enable a wide variety of sensing solutions using the Ericsson USA 5G Smart Factory’s fully on-premises 5G private network, according to a release by Ericsson.

This signals a shift from wired or Wi-Fi connections to native mmWave 5G connectivity for industrial use.

Jitender Vohra, Sr. Director Carrier Relations, Telit Cinterion, said in prepared remarks, “Our mmWave data card handles the complex job of networking the autonomous drone deployed in Ericsson’s pioneering 5G proof of concept at their USA 5G Smart Factory, securely and reliably.”

This partnership signifies an advancement in incorporating 5G into industrial workflows, demonstrating the transformative capabilities of native mmWave connectivity, particularly in revolutionizing inventory management and more, Vohra said.

Meaghan Elwell, President, JLL Industrials Division, tells GlobeSt.com that from a facilities perspective, using drones raises questions about the physical space.

For example, occupiers must consider clear height for safety reasons. “It’s critical to evaluate lighting fixtures and other stationery things attached to ceilings and how that could interfere with a flight path,” Elwell said.

“Security is another concern that should be addressed. How the drone is storing data and who has access to it, if there are any proprietary processes that it might record that would risk intellectual property and potential to photograph activity should be mapped out well in advance of deploying drone technology.”

“I call this fascinating,” Jen Tindle, Founder, All About CRE, tells GlobeSt.com. Tindle once performed inventories as an auditor at PwC.

“That was too many midnights spent in a random industrial building on New Year’s Eve,” she said. “It’s an area ripe for automation given today’s advancements in AI.

“There’s no reason a human should have to manually scan barcodes anymore. This will not only improve inventory management but also accounting processes. I’m excited to see this technology proliferate in the industrial space.”

A week earlier, Ericsson announced it is investing an additional $50 million into its smart factory to accelerate production, adding to the initial $100 million investment at the site’s launch in 2020, according to a report by Scarlett Evans in IoT World Today.

Ericsson said the additional funding will help accelerate production of 5G products and support growing U.S. demand, meeting the nation’s Build America Buy America Act, which was signed into law three years ago, the report said.