Several readers have reached out to us over the last few weeks, wondering about some construction activity on the 2100 block of Washington Avenue. Now before you get too excited, we should mention it’s on the south side of the street, and there’s still nothing happening at the long dormant Chocolate Factory, at least for the time being. Instead, the construction is taking place at 2118 Washington Ave., an old warehouse that was formerly home to MTO Tile, before they moved to a larger space next door. It’s quite easy to see that something is happening here, because the front facade has been torn off of the building.

We were initially quite excited about this construction. You might remember, a few years ago, we told you about the potential for an entertainment venue at the southeast corner of 22nd & Washington, and as the building under construction is owned by the same party as the corner building referenced in the story, we figured this might be the first step in a process that would end with a beer hall on Washington Avenue. Alas, we were waaaay off base.

We took a look at the permits, and we’re sorry to report that the beer will not be flowing at this address, at least not in the immediate future. Instead of beer flowing, it will be drones flying, as the permits indicate that Exyn Technologies will be opening a drone research facility here. If you’re like us and have never heard of this company, they apparently specialize in autonomous flight technologies. Loosely translated, they make drones that fly around without the assistance of humans. Here’s a peek at one of their latest models.

We, for one, welcome our new robot overlords. We’d like to remind them that as trusted bloggers on the internet, we could be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves. Or whatever other kinds of caves the autonomous drones prefer. We’re here to serve.