Verity today announced its latest collaboration with sportswear brand On and logistics provider Maersk. The companies developed a pilot project to bridge the gap between the physical and digital supply chain environments.
The companies did this by augmenting Verity’s autonomous inventory tracking system with radio frequency identification (RFID) capabilities. The pilot explored the potential of RFID technology and Verity’s autonomous drones to enhance inventory visibility in one of On’s warehouses.
“By fusing AI, autonomous data collection at scale, and RFID, we are bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds to deliver complete visibility across supply chains,” said Verity CEO Raffaello D’Andrea.
Although traditional RFID systems are commonly used for traceability, they face notable challenges in warehouse environments, according to the companies. To remain scalable, RFID tags or other passive emitters must remain inexpensive, which limits their range.
This constraint necessitates readers to operate within close proximity, leading to the widespread adoption of bottleneck solutions such as gates, noted Verity. In the fast-moving world of supply chains and warehousing, true visibility requires a mobile, agile, and autonomous reader—something the company said it delivered in the pilot with On and Maersk.
Verity offers AI-driven, vision-based systems that deliver insights in more than 100 warehouses globally in collaboration with various operators. While it said its drones provide reliability and scalability, they have struggled to track inventory beyond line of sight.
Now, by integrating RFID, Verity said it extends drone vision inside and beyond boxes. It said the technology enables precise tracking and identification of individual items, such as products and packages, at every stage of the warehouse lifecycle.
Verity, On, and Maersk share their vision
The three companies said with the project, they aim to enhance inventory visibility in the supply chain. The fusion of RFID, AI, and fully autonomous embodied AI agents for inventory tracking is addressing long-standing visibility challenges and creating fully transparent and efficient operations for operators and retailers alike, Verity said.
“At Maersk, we are committed to leveraging advancements in logistics through cutting-edge technology,” said Jason Walker, head of Maersk Contract Logistics, North America. “The exploration of RFID-enabled drones in our warehouses is a testament to our dedication to innovation and operational excellence. Importantly, this technology enhances the capabilities of our team, empowering them to focus on more strategic tasks and drive continuous improvement.”
The Verity drones, augmented with RFID, autonomously navigate warehouse aisles, scanning RFID tags with over 99.9% accuracy at rates of up to 1,000 tags/items per second. The system enables RFID tracking throughout warehouses without the need to redirect workflows, overcoming the challenges of traditional methods.
Key testing milestones and early successes
The team conducted the tests at a Maersk facility in California to evaluate the system in a high-volume, real-world warehouse environment. The testing phase spanned three months to validate the system’s performance for client-specific and wall-to-wall inventory counts.
During the testing period, the teams completed over 1,500 flights. During these flights, the drones performed more than 80 million RFID reads, covering approximately 1.25 million individual tags.
Verity found the system can detect tags at a rapid rate, with an estimated productized reading speed of up to 1,000 tags/items per second. This allows for precise identification of each item with a 99.9% success rate, it claimed.
Furthermore, the technology enables Verity to precisely localize each tag in the warehouse. This unlocks the tracking of items throughout the warehouse lifecycle, enabling new levels of visibility.