Ikea has launched an upgraded version of its inventory-counting drone system, and now it's coming to the United States as well. The Swedish furniture chain announced that autonomous drones will soon work alongside workers at its Perryville, Maryland, distribution center.
Verity-branded drones are also equipped with a new artificial intelligence system and can fly around the warehouse around the clock. This means they can now work alongside human workers, helping to count inventory and identify if something has been misplaced. Previously, drones could only be flown during non-working hours.
Parag Parekh, IKEA's retail chief digital officer, said in a press release that the drone flights were pre-arranged and that the drones used a "customized indoor positioning system to navigate to higher-level storage locations." The drone also has an obstacle detection system that can adjust its flight path to avoid collisions. IKEA is also working on several upgrades to the drones, including the ability to inspect unit loads and shelves.
So far, IKEA’s drone fleet consists of more than 250 drones, spread across 73 warehouses in nine countries. IKEA first launched its drone system in partnership with Verity in 2021 and expanded it to more locations in Europe last year. Now, IKEA plans to bring its AI-enhanced drones to more distribution centers in Europe and North America, which the company says will help "reduce ergonomic stress on [human] colleagues, allowing them to focus on easier and more interesting tasks."