Hyundai Glovis Cuts Inventory Check Time from 300 to 30 Minutes with Autonomous Flying Drones

Hyundai Glovis Deploys Autonomous Drones
for Inventory Management at Meta Plant Logistics Center

Hyundai Glovis announced on July 7 that it is utilizing "autonomous flying drones" equipped with camera vision technology for inventory management tasks at its logistics centers.

Hyundai Glovis has deployed two autonomous flying drones since the first half of the year at the Elaville Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America (HMGMA) integrated logistics center in Georgia, USA, utilizing them for inventory checks of automotive semi-assembled parts (KD). Hyundai Glovis

Since the first half of the year, Hyundai Glovis has deployed two autonomous flying drones at the Elaville Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America (HMGMA) integrated logistics center in Georgia, USA, using them for inventory checks of automotive semi-assembled parts (KD). Compared to traditional visual inventory checks, the time required per session has been reduced by more than 90%, from an average of 300 minutes to just 30 minutes.

In particular, the drones make it easy to identify inventory of items located more than 3.5 meters above the ground or in blind spots that are often missed by human workers. Inventory checks can also be conducted at any time, regardless of the hour, significantly improving operational efficiency.

These drones are designed for autonomous flight within the logistics center by using computer vision technology (VIO), which estimates distance and speed during movement, as well as an inertial measurement unit (IMU). They are equipped with a fisheye camera, stereo camera, distance sensor, and acceleration and angular velocity sensors, allowing them to locate stored items and accurately assess inventory.

A Hyundai Glovis representative explained, "The fisheye camera mounted on the drone extracts feature points such as corners and patterns, while the acceleration and angular velocity sensors calculate the position of items, and the stereo camera estimates height. This combination of various technologies enables seamless inventory checks."

Most commercially available drones currently operate based on GPS, which limits their precise functioning in urban or indoor environments. However, the drones introduced by Hyundai Glovis utilize cameras and vision technology, enabling them to fly freely indoors without GPS. The drones' battery charge levels and lifespan are monitored in real time, and battery replacement is performed automatically at the base station?where the drones take off and land?without human intervention.

Hyundai Glovis plans to introduce two additional drones to the CC within HMGMA and is considering expanding the use of drone-based inventory checking technology to other logistics centers it operates. A Hyundai Glovis representative stated, "We will continue to focus on securing new technologies in order to proactively respond to the rapidly changing logistics industry environment."