Verizon has reorganized some of its technology business units behind its drone and ground robotics holdings. The Robotics Business Technology is a unit within New Business Incubation.
Verizon says that the new unit will create integration solutions that use Verizon’s 5G and mobile edge computing (MEC) capabilities. The goal is to help enterprises efficiently deploy, manage and scale mixed fleets of aerial and ground robotics.
Initially, the initiative will feature indoor and outdoor use cases in the manufacturing and logistics, commercial construction, energy and utilities, public sector, and media.
The new unit consists of three entities:
- The drone management company Skyward;
- Recently acquired incubed IT, which develops software for autonomous mobile robots;
- A team focusing on automating command and control of robots on the carrier’s 5G Ultra Wideband network.
“Enterprises in many industries are adopting drones and ground robots to gather data, survey and monitor infrastructure, and automate logistics operations,” Mariah Scott, the Head of Robotics Business Technology for Verizon, said in a press release. “By integrating these fleets with one operational platform, and leveraging Verizon’s advanced connectivity solutions, businesses can speed up time to insight, increase automation of their operations and deliver greater value.”
Verizon has long shown interest in the potential of drones and robotics. In fact, the company recently notched an agreement with the FAA for testing of cellular connected drones.
In January, Skyward – which Verizon Ventures acquired in early 2017 — and UPS Flight Forward agreed to deliver retail products via drones in The Villages in Florida.
At the time, UPS Flight Forward had conducted more than 3,800 successful drone delivery flights. Verizon’s Ultra Wideband is tasked with support and management of multiple drones dispatched from the same location or are in the air at the same time.
