Understand the hardware and software components of the automated drone system
The Ware drone system consists of multiple hardware and software components, listed below.
Hardware
The Ware drone system consists of the following hardware components:
Skydio 2 Drone Kit
- Batteries for Skydio 2 drone
- Wall Charger (power brick and USB-C cable)
- SD Card (should always remain inserted inside drone)
- Cleaning cloth for Skydio 2 navigation cameras
- Spare drone propellers
- Dual Charger (if included)
Nest
The Nest is the area where the drone's batteries charge, where the Computer (NUC) is plugged into power and ethernet, and is the general at-rest point for all Ware hardware in the facility.- Charging station for Skydio 2 batteries and mobile device (USB-C cables and chargers)
- NUC computer connected to internet to upload imagery from Skydio 2
- Internet access via Ethernet or Mobile Phone Tethering
Never touch the Power button on the computer. The computer should always remain on so that Ware can access it. Ensure internet access / connection is working properly.
Navigation and Localization System
- Launchpad
- Navigation Markers (stickers) for racking
Software
The Ware system consists of the following software components:
Ware Software (Portal)
The main Ware software for accessing inventory reports, images, drone management, and more. Available at portal.getware.com on a web browser.
Skydio 2 App for mobile devices
Available on both iOS and Android.
Ware Skill
Accessed from inside the Skydio 2 App.
Detailed Description of Components
Skydio 2
The drone.
Drone Batteries
Batteries that power the drone. They’re magnetic and pop right into the drone. They take 65 minutes to fully charge (each).
USB-C Wall charger for drone
Either a single or dual-charger that allows for battery charging.
SD card
Your Skydio 2 drone should always have an SD card in it. If you attempt to fly without an SD card, the Skydio 2 app will alert you.
Mobile device
An Android or iOS device. Always keep this device charged so that you may fly at any time.
Cleaning cloth
Before every flight, ensure you wipe each of the 6 navigation cameras on Skydio 2 so that the drone can fly safely.
Ware Skill
This is our custom Ware Skill that tells the drone to fly autonomously around your racking and take pictures. We give you access to run it via the Skydio 2 App.
Nest
This is where your drone lives and batteries are recharged. The NUC (computer) is stationed here. There should be power and wired Ethernet connections. Desks and tables are fine for your first Nests.
Computer (NUC)
This small black box is a computer (called a NUC) and should always remain plugged into power and Ethernet so that it can communicate through your facility’s internet to the Ware servers and transfer the images your drone captures. NUC's live at Nests.
Launchpad
The flat plastic board with 2 large navigation tags (they look like QR codes). This is meant for the drone to take off from and land onto. Ensure that the “FRONT” of the launchpad is always pointed to the front of the side of the aisle you want to scan first and that the front of the drone is also aligned to the “FRONT” of the launchpad.
When placing the launchpad on the floor, ensure it is centered in the aisle. Align the launchpad “FRONT” with the rack’s column that you wish to start the flight to.
Navigation Markers (stickers)
These tags are affixed to the column uprights of each rack in your facility. They look like QR codes and are used in the Data Processing phase of the Ware workflow to associate each image with the appropriate bin location.
Ware Portal
https://portal.getware.com - used to access inventory reports from Ware.
Skydio 2 app
This is our partner, Skydio’s, app for flying the Skydio 2 drone. It is available on iOS and Android.
