Drone Testing Demonstration Showcases the Power of Regional Collaboration

On August 28, technology companies and regional innovation partners gathered in Northeast Ohio for a drone-testing demonstration showcasing how collaboration can accelerate the development and application of emerging technologies.

The event brought together Engineered Products, Inc. (EPI), a defense technology firm located in Warren, Ohio, and Agilis Air, a startup located in North Benton, Ohio, specializing in scalable, affordable drones. Supported by funding from the Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace & Defense project call, the initiative demonstrated the importance of connecting complementary technologies, companies, manufacturing resources, and technical expertise to transform ideas into practical applications.

Advancing Asset Tracking Through Drone Technology
The demonstration featured EPI’s patented embedded RFID technology integrated onto Agilis Air’s modular Remora unmanned aircraft system (UAS). Together, the companies extended EPI’s established ground-based RFID and asset-tracking technology into an airborne capability designed to inspect and track assets across large, complex, or difficult-to-access environments.

The team moved the technology from concept to a proven drone system in approximately four months.

“We were able to take an embedded RFID and put it together in less than four months, which is basically unheard of — to be able to take it from a concept to literally right into a working drone,” said Justine Blank, Founder and CEO of EPI. “That’s what I would consider record time.”

This successful demonstration moved the effort beyond design and integration into a demonstrated capability. During the test, the Remora UAS autonomously located RFID-tagged assets and reported their locations, demonstrating the potential to make inventory and asset tracking faster, safer, and more scalable across large-area environments.

“Our partnership combines EPI’s proven RFID and asset-tracking expertise with the flexibility of our modular Remora UAS platform,” said Shawn Theiss, Co-Founder and CEO of Agilis Air. “The successful demonstration showed that these technologies can work together effectively in an airborne environment and provides a strong foundation for continued development toward practical solutions for both commercial and defense applications.”

By combining RFID technology with autonomous aerial systems, the solution could help organizations locate, track, and manage critical assets more efficiently. Potential applications include warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing sites, military logistics operations, and other environments where traditional inventory management can be time-consuming and resource-intensive.

Collaboration Accelerating Innovation
The demonstration also highlighted the strength of Northeast Ohio’s growing innovation ecosystem and the role regional partnerships can play in advancing emerging technologies.

“The ecosystem is working,” Blank said. “We’ve got Agilis Air, EPI, YBI, America Makes, and the Youngstown Innovation Hub, all local partners, all supporting and mentoring. By being in this ecosystem, we accelerated our timeline and opened our network to new possibilities.”

For Theiss, the project also demonstrates how the region’s innovation infrastructure can help businesses move promising technologies toward commercialization more quickly.

“This project demonstrates the power of the Youngstown-area innovation ecosystem,” Theiss said. “Organizations like the Youngstown Innovation Hub, YBI, and America Makes help connect complementary technologies, companies, manufacturing resources, and technical expertise. Those connections make it possible for regional businesses to collaborate, demonstrate new capabilities, and move ideas forward faster.”

Regional partners helped connect the project with the expertise, resources, manufacturing capabilities, and testing opportunities needed to move the effort forward. Both Agilis Air and EPI are portfolio companies of YBI Engine Tech Incubator. YBI’s Advanced Manufacturing Program also contributed to the project by supporting the production of drone bodies.

The event showed what is possible when companies, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and innovation organizations work together toward a shared objective. As emerging technologies such as autonomous systems continue to evolve, collaboration across industry and the broader innovation ecosystem will remain essential to accelerating development, expanding applications, and strengthening U.S. manufacturing and technology capabilities.

The successful demonstration provides EPI and Agilis Air with a foundation for continued development as they explore operational applications for mobile, airborne RFID technology.