Audi has used drones at its latest futuristic vehicle concept, which was ready to be dispatched using GPS and RFID technology at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.
These drones are custom made autonomous drones which fly a predetermined path over all the vehicles, scan the RFID chips at the same time they collect GPS data which enables the drone to mark the location of each car in the particular site. This enables the employees to know the exact spot the car is parked and the best way to get it out from the mass of new Audis, thereby making it possible for the employees to prepare for dispatch more efficiently.
GPS and RFID technology is used to locate the cars and the RFID chips, which are already part of Audi cars, beam a special identification number to the drone which is flying above the numerous cars. As the drones land they connect to WiFi and transfer the data over to a database where all the cars are shown on a virtual map.
Employees have special training to be able to monitor the drones and take over in case something goes wrong with the automation. Because of the concern for potential problems, weather data is provided to the drones before each flight so that in case they are out of operating parameters that are not safe, the drones will not be able to take off. In addition, the batteries are checked before each flight to ensure they are fully charged.
Their pilot program is being changed to a program that is more permanent, so that there will be more data collected concerning the drone operations to determine whether drones should be used at the rest of the Audi sites.
Future
It is anticipated that if the Germans consider this a successful program, drones flying above cars at Audi’s sites will expand to other car makers — it will be only a matter of time!
This opens up tremendous opportunities for drone enthusiasts! When we consider the numerous car lots of millions of cars throughout the U.S. and around the world, the business opportunities are unbelievable — countless!
