Walmart: Monitoring inventory using drones

Published on: June 10, 2016 / Updated on: November 26, 2018 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein

Walmart plans to use drones in its warehouse (Source: Walmart)

For some time now, drones have been a top priority for many companies – retailers and logistics providers alike. Well-known companies like Amazon and DHL with drone deliveries for quite a while. So far, however, these have remained isolated test projects, and a date for widespread deployment of the devices is not yet in sight. Now, according to its own statements, the US retail giant Walmart on the verge of integrating drones into its daily operations. The flying helpers will not be used to transport goods to customers, but rather for intralogistics purposes within Walmart's own distribution centers. Their primary task will initially be monitoring inventory levels. After a six- to nine-month test phase, the drones could then be deployed across all of Walmart's 190 distribution centers throughout the US.

At a presentation of the new technology in one of the company's megastores, a remotely controlled drone was demonstrated for the first time as it navigated the warehouse aisles. During its flight, the drone takes 30 pictures per second, cataloging all the items on the shelves. These photos are then automatically analyzed. If the system detects that a product is running low or has been incorrectly stored, the user is notified via a color indicator. A flashing red light on the control unit signals a storage error. A blue light indicates that a product is missing, while green means everything is OK.

Fewer regulations for the indoor use of drones

Unlike operating drones in public spaces, as is necessary for delivering goods to customers, indoor flights do not require pilot supervision. This allows the drones to operate automatically within the warehouse without intensive human intervention. Furthermore, the absence of unexpected obstacles within a warehouse greatly facilitates the autonomous navigation of drones.

The camera technology used by the drone was developed specifically for Walmart. With its help, the devices can inspect an entire Walmart warehouse within a single day and place reorders as needed.

Drones – efficient and fast

Previously, these time-consuming tasks were performed manually by employees, but Walmart hopes to significantly speed up the process with the help of drones. According to Walmart's Vice President of Engineering, Shekar Natarajan, the devices can scan as many products in a day as a worker can manually scan with a handheld device in a month. Furthermore, drones are considerably cheaper to operate than human employees. In addition to saving time, Walmart primarily hopes for a more efficient use of its workforce. Instead of working in the warehouse, employees could be deployed in other, more productive areas. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that job losses will be an additional consequence.

It is expected that logistics professionals will closely observe the further course of the test; after all, the use of drones could contribute to managing key areas of intralogistics even more efficiently in the future.