Autonomous Drone Navigation for Warehouse Inventory Using Fiducial Markers

Fiducial markers have proven highly effective in guiding autonomous vehicles across various research domains, offering precise location and navigation cues. In this study, we explore their application in real-world warehouse inventory systems by integrating Fiducial Markers, specifically AprilTags, with path-finding algorithms to enhance drone navigation. Our system enables drones to autonomously traverse warehouse environments, scanning barcodes and QR codes on inventory items while navigating between rows and levels. The first phase of our experiment involved simulating a shelf-scanning process using a 3x3 grid of QR codes, designed to test the drone’s navigation and scanning abilities in a controlled environment. This phase successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using a drone to automate inventory management tasks. Future phases will involve simulating multiple shelves and ultimately deploying the system in a real warehouse, facing more complex challenges such as varying lighting conditions, larger scanning areas, and potential obstacles. Additionally, we plan to integrate multiple drones working in coordination to increase scalability and efficiency. Our preliminary results show significant potential for optimizing warehouse operations through faster, more accurate, and fully autonomous inventory management using drone technology.