DJI Mavic Enterprise with Modular Accessories - The Roadmap for DroneScan

When DJI launched the M100 DJI Developer Drone in 2015, it really enabled us to execute on the DroneScan vision. Namely that a Drone platform with a Scanner payload could be used more effectively in warehouses for Barcode based scanning of pallets and products stacked at height in a faster, safer and more reliable manner.

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What we saw immediately in the DJI M100 was unlike any other drone on the market for our application for many reasons, namely:

  • We could mount our payloads - Barcode scanners, laser rangefinders, RFID scanners, Lights, Operator displays etc

  • We could access power and communications on the drone

  • The M100 had an additional key component, “Guidance” which allowed for stable indoor flight with an additional sensor array.

  • Specialist Optical zoom Camera’s could be optionally attached for operator feedback at height

  • It was and is a robust developer platform that we could easily reconfigure and repair down to key components

Over the last 4 years we have run several projects with customers and also sold our scanning payloads compatible with the M100 to a variety of early adopter international drone and integration partners. 

The DJI M100 has now reached end of life, and even though the M200 may look like the replacement drone for our uses, it has not materialised as such. The M100 over time also showed us some of the limitations of the platform and our own challenges as below;

  • The final Industrial platform is relatively expensive ending up between $4000 and $5000 when Guidance for indoor stability, Camera and long life batteries were added to the build

  • All these components had to be sourced, assembled and configured

  • It is a large, bulky platform to travel with and transport and even to fly.

Enter the Mavic Series - Enterprise with Modular Accessories. 

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When the Mavic consumer series burst onto the consumer scene from DJI in 2016 it was clearly a big move from the previous generation like the Phantom. Most notably its small form factor also embedded the indoor stability with a built in camera. 

While exciting for the consumer market in terms of price and performance it did not offer us as DroneScan the industrial opportunity to add accessories or access power for our payloads. 

This has now changed with the release of the enterprise Mavic series which via the modular accessories allows us to build a payload to fit the Mavic. It also leverages the batteries , spares and other accessories from the consumer line where the M100 did not have this consumer equivalents. 

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The DJI Mavic Enterprise Payload Scanning and IOT Accessories from DroneScan, code name Hummingbird will be developed and sold in at least two models one being LITE with wireless (batch) integration to customers product and stock databases and systems and our FULLer offering that has traditionally provided real time integration to enterprise WMS and ERPs of our warehouse customers 

 For more information about this incredible platform that we feel will lift our DroneScan offering to the next level please see the full news article from DJ below in 2018 and the introductory YouTube Link

DJI Press Release of Mavic Enterprise 2

You Tube Video of Mavic Enterprise

Our website will be updated with product demo’s and videos and our sales team has introductory pricing for partners and customers. We aim to release the first partner version in Q1 2020.

For more info please contact salesteam@dronescan.co

REINVENTING THE SUPPLY CHAIN: THE FUTURE OF FULFILLMENT VISION STUDY

This Study by Zebra as linked below has many key forecasts and insights that relate to our own vision and roadmap investments.

E-commerce has given way to a dramatic rise in distribution centers  and  warehousing  operations  placing  enormous  pressure on the already scarce supply of skilled labor resources. To counteract the labor concerns, supply chain decision makers are forecasting that automation will offset the shortages. Survey executives  identified  the  most  highly  disruptive  technologies  as drones,  driverless/autonomous  vehicles  and  augmented  reality. Next-generation supply chains will utilize robotics and automation to perform traditionally manual tasks such as picking, sorting,  inspecting,  storing,  handling  and  classifying  products to improve overall efficiency, worker productivity and speed to market.  Some  warehouses  are  turning  to  autonomous  vehicles to bring merchandise to sortation and packing areas. Others are using drones and RFID for inventory management.

The opportunities  are  seemingly  limitless  and  include  wearable technology,  which  enables  truly  hands-free,  multi-modal workflows that result in greater worker efficiency and increased productivity. The market for enterprise wearable devices is expected to skyrocket with projected growth of 75% by 2021.7 Interestingly,  while  supply  chain  executives  have  highlighted key disruptors, they seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach when  it  comes  to  actually  investing.  Indeed,  these  technologies are being implemented more as tests to determine their return on  investment  rather  than  a  full-scale  rollout. Industry  players  also  face  the  challenge  of  managing  these next-generation  technologies  across  the  many  moving  parts  of the supply chain for an effective omnichannel strategy, while implementing them to work seamlessly with existing legacy systems — which is no easy feat. 

https://www.zebra.com/content/dam/zebra_new_ia/en-us/solutions-verticals/vertical-solutions/retail/vision-study/fulfillment-vision-study-report-en-us.pdf

DroneScan is a revolutionary inventory counting system