This week’s “Around the Commercial Drone Industry” news round-up looks at the expansion of IKEA’s drone-based warehouse management initiative, a drone delivery milestone for Flytrex, and how drones are part of an educational program at a Florida zoo.

IKEA AI-Powered Drone Warehouse Program

Incorporating the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI), IKEA is expanding its drone-based warehouse management program. Dronelife reports that “the next phase” of the retailer’s plan will feature “an advanced AI-powered system capable of operating continuously alongside employees.” Equipped with features such as obstacle detection capabilities, the system is “designed to be integrated into various fulfillment units, including distribution centers, promises to run around the clock, further enhancing IKEA’s operational efficiency.”  According to the report, IKEA’s decision to expand its drone-based system was based on a successful year of testing at its Distribution Centre in Winterslag, Belgium.

A Drone Delivery Milestone for Flytrex

According to Supply Chain Dive, food delivery company Flytrex “announced it has made its 100K drone delivery across its locations in North Carolina and Texas, making it the largest operation of its kind in the United States.” The report states that Flytrex services are “specifically tailored for on-demand deliveries in the underserved suburban market where the majority of Americans live.” As a result, the company “has seen 70% of the households in their delivery areas use the service.”

UAVs at the Zoo

At the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida, a team from Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach Campus in the College of Aviation have been deploying drones to provide “critical data in support of the environment, as well as educating the zoo’s guests in support of COASTech — a consortium between the Brevard Zoo, academia and corporations — to conduct both research on and education about the coastal environments of Florida.” Through the program, students enhance their understanding of STEM topics, help the environment, and better understand the many capabilities of uncrewed systems.