Doing inventory is a tedious and monotonous task. I feel the need to reiterate this every time I discuss it. Having worked in retail for years, I can personally vouch for the mind-numbing boredom of it all. That’s why it’s the perfect candidate for automation. After all, robots excel at repetitive tasks like counting without ever getting tired or complaining.
The halls of Modex this week are filled with solutions to the inventory problem. It’s a complex issue, especially in warehouses where there are large quantities to be accounted for and high shelves to be reached. In recent years, we’ve seen drone solutions and Dexory’s massive AMR with a telescoping scaffolding structure.
A new system presented at Modex by Cypher Robotics takes a different approach. At its core is a tall AMR (although not as tall as Dexory) that serves as a launching pad for a drone. The concept is simple: the mobile platform moves across the warehouse floor, and then the drone takes off, providing vertical reach.
“The mobile platform moves the across the warehouse floor, and then the drone takes off, giving it a lot of vertical reach.”
I had a chance to see this drone in action at GreyOrange’s booth. The Indian robotics company has been incorporating third-party solutions in their efforts to fully automate warehouses. The company shared that the Captis robot was added to their offerings at the request of a customer who needed help with cycle counting – a process of checking inventory records against the actual items on the shelves.
While the drone may not be visible in the image I took, it is actually tethered inside the AMR platform. When it takes off, it reveals a hole with the cable inside. This hard wiring allows for a longer battery life compared to untethered systems. The Ottawa-based company claims the drone can operate for up to five hours before needing to return to the base for a recharge.
