Honeywell’s aerial drones and cloud software target some of supply chain’s biggest headaches

Warehouses are going high-tech. Picture Corvus One autonomous drones hovering along 30-foot warehouse racks or Amazon’s “Proteus” robots ferrying pallets. These self-flying inventory systems operate without GPS or human guidance, using computer vision to navigate corridors, scan, map, and count inventory in real-time.

In a similar vein, Honeywell has introduced a pair of new technologies to meet unmet needs in the logistics sector. “As the labor shortage continues to plague the supply chain, we know that companies are looking for solutions to supplement their human workforce,” said David Barker, president of Honeywell Productivity Solutions and Services, in a press release.

One of the offerings, an autonomous inventory drone, was developed in partnership with Corvus Robotics. It also draws on Honeywell’s SwiftDecoder software to scan large batches of barcodes at once. The technology can handle difficult warehouse conditions like low-light and high shelving.

The second offering is a new cloud-based Warehouse Execution Software (WES) platform. WES is a critical component to warehouse automation that orchestrates multiple processes within the warehouse in real-time, from picking and routing to order management and capacity planning. The new WES software is designed to streamline operations, cut IT infrastructure costs, and open the door for more advanced AI-driven analytics down the line.

Honeywell’s recent moves in logistics highlight the industry-wide push toward automation and cloud-based solutions. The company’s barcode-decoding integration with Corvus Robotics’ autonomous drones enables warehouses to conduct faster inventory audits, as drones navigate without GPS, Wi-Fi, or beacons. Real-time data on stock levels and case counts help businesses quickly address supply chain disruptions. By collecting data from various technologies across the warehouse, such as robots, scanners, and machine control, and collating it into dashboards and metrics, the platform enables better decision-making by warehouse operators. Meanwhile, Honeywell’s new cloud-based Warehouse Execution Software cuts upfront IT infrastructure costs, allows remote system updates, and offers the processing power needed to incorporate advanced AI models.

From an R&D perspective, Honeywell’s dual logistics push echoes the broader adoption of AI-driven analytics and autonomous robotics in industrial settings and beyond. The proprietary case counting AI technology integrated with computer vision navigation enables the drones to operate completely infrastructure-free—without GPS, human operators, Wi-Fi, or wireless beacons.

Meanwhile, its cloud-based WES platform taps significant computing power to run “novel artificial intelligence models” that would be impractical on traditional on-premises systems. Chad Briggs, president of Honeywell Intelligrated, noted in a press release that this capability allows businesses to “access real-time warehouse data from anywhere.” It also offers built-in encryption and continuous monitoring features that address cybersecurity concerns in connected industrial environments.