Proof-of-Concept Indoor Drone System with Computer Vision and AI Can Detect, Verify, and Count Warehouse Assets
A Khalifa University team of four students has won the top award in the ‘Computing and Robotics’ category under the Senior Design Project (SDP) Competition at the 19th IEEE UAE Student Day for an indoor drone system designed to detect, verify, and count warehouse assets using computer vision and AI.
The team included Sahlah Adesina, Aaminah Arif, Rahika Roza, and Tasneem Ahmed, while Dr. Reyad El-Khazali, Dr. Mihai Sanduleanu and Dr. Sean Swei offered mentorship, and technical guidance. More than 330 students from 58 academic institutions participated in the IEEE UAE Student Day at the University of Dubai, making it one of the largest student technology expos in the world.
The fully functional proof-of-concept custom-built manually piloted drone system has been successfully tested for stable indoor flight, and is equipped with onboard sensors, an AI camera, and a Raspberry Pi – a versatile, single-board and low-cost computer. The solution stands out for its portability and the use of AI.
The drone also includes YOLOv8-based (You Only Look Once – YOLO series of real-time object detection algorithms) models for detecting normal and damaged boxes, as well as QR/barcodes, with over 95% Mean Average Precision (mAP). In addition, it also has a full-stack web dashboard with real-time video feed and inventory tracking, supporting scans with less than three-second latency that is crucial for real-time applications.
Dr. Reyad El-Khazali said: “Congratulations to our students for winning the top award in the category and demonstrating Khalifa University’s role as a higher education institution of scientific excellence. It was also an incredible experience to showcase our students’ senior design project among some of the most innovative and inspiring student work across the country. From AI-powered healthcare systems to sustainable tech and cutting-edge robotics, the level of creativity and technical excellence at each booth was truly motivating.”
Clarence Michael
English Editor – Specialist
