ADT Commercial's autonomous indoor drones get first pilot sale – Security Sales & Integration

ADT Commercial reports that it has completed its first pilot sale for the company’s EvoGuard brand of autonomous intelligent guarding solutions. ADT Commercial recently sold the Tando indoor drones to luxury Swiss watchmaker Movado to continue field-testing the solution in their distribution center.

“This is a huge milestone in the launch of our EvoGuard brand and moment for ADT Commercial as a trusted commercial integrator entering the guarding market,” says Ed Bacco, vice president, emerging technologies for ADT Commercial. “We’ve long seen the value in intelligent autonomous solutions and the impact they can have on the future of guarding. With a landscape that’s vastly changed over the last several decades – with higher turnover, increasing labor costs and a diminishing talent pool – we knew we had to explore a way forward through technology. It’s incredible to see customers getting the chance to witness that value for themselves.”

ADT Commercial is targeting commercialization of the drone for later this year as part of its EvoGuard portfolio.

Movado has been testing the indoor drones at the group’s distribution center in Moonachie, New Jersey, since June 2022. It’s been actively field-testing the technology in collaboration with ADT Commercial and Israel-based Indoor Robotics to serve as a supplemental physical security measure for overnight and weekend coverage. With the purchase of the autonomous indoor drone, Movado says it anticipates enhancing its guarding program and operational security strategy to better utilize technology and streamline labor costs.

“In planning for the future of our corporate security program at Movado, we feel that true innovation is a must. You have to be on the cutting edge and always looking forward,” says John Holubowicz, director of loss prevention for the Movado Group. “That’s why it’s been amazing to collaborate with ADT Commercial and Indoor Robotics in piloting a solution that we feel signals the next generation in guarding.”

The goal of the Tando autonomous indoor drone is to function as an additional layer of 24/7 surveillance to patrol commercial facilities, reports ADT Commercial. Primary features in development, currently being piloted by Movado and others, include:

• Ability to program a destination or set an autonomous patrol route at routine intervals;
• Option to program alerts to trigger investigatory flights and interact with security incidents in virtually real-time;
• Always-on video feed to provide more comprehensive surveillance coverage — whether in flight or monitoring from a docking station;
• People detection capabilities and object-avoidance analytics;
• Future ability to carry a variety of sensors, such as infrared video or radio-wave detection that can be integrated into other security and facilities management systems to help alert and respond to potential hazards; and
• Intuitive user interface with indoor-only capabilities, so users do not need to be experienced drone pilots or certified by the FAA to manage a drone fleet or conduct patrols.

“We view EvoGuard as a cost-effective means of enhancing our guarding coverage during critical after-hour periods, and limiting human exposure to potentially dangerous situations. We’re proud to be an early adopter of the technology and to continue working with the teams on this,” says Holubowicz.

ADT Commercial is also developing a humanoid robot in a partnership with robotics company 1X Technologies (formerly Halodi Robotics). It will be part of ADT’s EvoGuard guarding solutions brand.

ADT Commercial says it is currently seeking additional pilot partners for the EvoGuard suite of intelligent autonomous guarding solutions, which currently includes both the Tando autonomous indoor drones and humanoid robots by 1X Technologies (formerly Halodi Robotics).

The Tando autonomous indoor drone and EvoGuard will be highlighted at ADT Commercial’s booth #20007 at ISC West in Las Vegas.