The ITRI drone inspection system designed for indoor spaces is one of the unmanned vehicle technologies on display at 2026 ITRI ICT TechDay, which opened on September 29. The Industrial Technology Research Institute, or ITRI, is using the event to show how its ICT research can move out of the lab and into practical, real-world use. Its Intelligent Indoor Precision Drone Inspection System shares the floor with projects in next generation networks, satellite communications and artificial intelligence, all presented under the theme “Creating a Smart Future Together.”
ITRI is co-hosting TechDay with partner research organizations, and the event brings together specialists and leading companies from both Taiwan and overseas. More than 30 technologies are being exhibited, grouped into three focus areas: 6G and satellite communications, unmanned vehicles, and AI applications. ITRI says many of them have already moved into field validation or industrial use.
How the ITRI Drone Inspection System Works Indoors
The ITRI drone inspection system relies on visual-inertial odometry, or VIO, to handle positioning inside a building. That approach allows the drone to move through indoor areas and inspect them on its own, without needing a map to be created ahead of time. For warehouses, the clearest payoff is in inventory management, where ITRI says the system can shrink manual inventory checks from several days to just a few hours. The institute adds that the technology is meant to help warehouse operators work more efficiently while also improving safety for the people on site.
Drones also fit into a larger picture ITRI is painting about where communications technology is heading. Pang-An Ting, ITRI Vice President and General Director of its Information and Communications Research Laboratories, said future networks will serve not only people but also AI agents, self-driving vehicles, drones and robots. He tied that change to the spread of AI around the world and to the direction Taiwan’s ICT industry needs to take next.
“As AI capabilities expand worldwide, next-generation communications are shifting from bits to tokens, moving beyond data transmission to support AI computing and intelligent services. Taiwan’s ICT industry must therefore move beyond hardware-focused contract manufacturing toward higher-value services that integrate software, hardware, and broader ecosystems.” Pang-An Ting, ITRI Vice President and General Director of Information and Communications Research Laboratories
In response, ITRI is working with industry partners to combine advanced AI algorithms with next generation communications architectures. That effort covers 6G, agentic AI, physical AI, AI-RAN, integrated sensing and communication, and the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. ITRI says its goal is to turn these technologies into practical services that companies can trust, helping Taiwanese firms get past technical barriers and compete in global markets.
AI-RAN Network Management and AI Adoption at ICT TechDay
Alongside the ITRI drone inspection system, TechDay features the institute’s 5G/6G Network Management and Orchestration Solution, which is built on AI-RAN technology and blends software with hardware. ITRI describes it as an AI network butler that looks after base stations around the clock, assigning and tuning network resources as conditions shift. The institute is developing base stations for the solution with Pegatron and G REIGNS, while Groundhog Technologies and Auray Technology are collaborating with ITRI on the network management software. In field validation, testing showed the solution could cut network recovery time by 97% and raise network performance by 50%, and it also lowered the energy that base stations consume.
The event also looks at a wider challenge, which is how businesses can actually put AI to use. A dedicated advisory zone for AI adoption across industries brings together 15 research organizations, giving companies one place to get technical consultation and find technology matches across different sectors. The broader initiative behind it pairs research organizations with industry partners to build demonstration sites in manufacturing, chemicals, semiconductors and consumer products. At those sites, AI models designed for specific industries are applied inside real operating environments, with the aim of creating methods that other companies can repeat and scale. ITRI says the initiative is intended to help more than 1,400 companies speed up their AI transformation.
ITRI was founded in 1973 and has played a major role in shifting Taiwan’s industries from labor-intensive work toward innovation-driven growth. Over the years it has incubated hundreds of startups and spinoffs, including well-known companies such as UMC and TSMC. The institute is headquartered in Taiwan and also operates offices in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and Thailand.
