Swiss company Verity has won the 2026 IERA Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation, presented by the International Federation of Robotics and IEEE. The prize recognizes companies that turn technical innovation into commercially successful products, and Verity was honored for autonomous drones that count warehouse inventory without GPS or human intervention.
The drones use an indoor navigation system to operate inside enclosed buildings. They lift off from charging stations, scan pallets, read barcodes, collect 3D data, and then return to recharge on their own. The work is typically done at night or between shifts so it does not disrupt normal warehouse operations.
Verity was founded in 2014 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich by Prof. Raffaello D’Andrea, a leading robotics figure who also co-founded Kiva Systems, later bought by Amazon and turned into Amazon Robotics. The company first became known for large drone shows for international artists, but it has since shifted into logistics automation. Since 2021, Verity has deployed its system commercially, and today hundreds of drones operate across dozens of sites worldwide.
Its customers include IKEA, Maersk, DSV and Samsung. According to industry sources, the system improves inventory accuracy, reduces labor needs and cuts human error. An IKEA representative said, “Instead of checking pallets manually with paper and pen, the system turns data collection digital using cameras and sensors. The entire process is fully autonomous.” The award, created in 2005, is considered one of the leading prizes in applied robotics and highlights the move from experimental technology to real-world warehouse automation.
