Parcel Sensor Knows When Your Delivery Has Been Dropped

First time accepted submitter Hamsterdan writes "If you're tired of finding that your stuff has been smashed during shipping after opening your package, this device is for you. 'Called DropTag, the gadget combines a battery, a low-energy Bluetooth transmitter, an accelerometer and a memory chip. Stuck on a parcel as it leaves an e-commerce warehouse, it logs any g-forces above a set risky shock level that it experiences. The idea is that when the courier puts it in your hands, you turn on Bluetooth on a smartphone running a DropTag app and scan it before you sign for it.'"

Comments

Existing non-electronic variant

[EdZ]

Why not just use a shockwatch and stick it on the outside? That's what they're for, and having one obviously visible is certainyl more of a deterrant to mistreatment than a normal 'handle with care' sticker.

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[Ungrounded Lightning]

By including it inside the product packaging (or building it into the product itself B-) ), a manufacturer can record, not just shipping shocks in the last hop, but all shocks from the time the device was packaged at the factory. He can defend himself (and the customer) against failures (and warranty repair costs) generated by mishandling by a wholesaler, retailer, or what-have-you, not just the final shipper.

The device would report significant events with time stamps, so the final shipper wouldn't get blamed for mishandling further up the chain.

With integrated accelerometers and the like, the silicon-with-MEMS product would be a rather tiny chip attached to a battery - which (with modern battery tech) could power it for the shelf life of the product's design. Given Moore's law the prices for the electronic versions might come out lower than those of the mechanical version.

Main downside might be that the battery might make the device unsuited for air freight. B-)

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[MrEricSir]

Or how about a label that just says "Yes, this packaged was dropped" applied to every package prior to delivery?

Based on my experience, that would have near-perfect accuracy. Also it's cheaper than an electronic solution.

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[TheGratefulNet]

this is actually how UPS, the shipping company got its name.

it was a phonetic spelling mistake: they meant to call the company "oops!".

(the more you know...)

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[Anonymous Coward]

This Popular Mechanics article definitely proves this point. Its not just for the customer, but probably of more use for the manufacturer to do QA as far as who they have ship their product. Ditto for the shipping companies themselves. Stuff leaves factory unbroken and gets to warehouses A and B ok, but somewhere between shipping hub C and D... Uh oh! Also if keeping tabs on impacts and such over time, it would even allow the shipping company to find out if some particular employee is dinging their packages by keeping tabs on shift hours and such.

It's nice to have it, but the recipient isn't the only customer of this particular tracking service. It would only make sense if the cell phone app to read the tag also reports all the data back home to a database where this info can be of greater use. Also not to mention everyone going through a similar supply line benefits despite not having these tags, provided problems in shipping are corrected promptly.

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[TubeSteak]

But I suspect that it would not ameliorate the problem since damage and returns are built into the cost of doing business and the shippers have no incentive to correct the problem any moer than they have..

The problem is that the guys loading the trucks can only go so fast.
BUT, since time is money, the shippers run the sorting machines at highspeed, and the loaders are forced to treat your package like a football in order to meet their quotas and keep boxes from piling up.

So it isn't that the damages and returns are built into the cost of doing business, it's that (for the shipper) the damages and returns cost less than the profits from destroying every N-th package.

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[markxz]

Shockwatch labels that release sarin (or equivelent) gas when broken would incentivise good handling of the item.

Otherwise couriers will continue to smash the items up.

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[Spamalope]

I thought UPS stood for United Package Smashers.

I know they offer throw it at the ground shipping. We shipped about a dozen computers and at least half literally had the metal case warped. One had a fork lift tine driven through the box. One of our branch employees saw the UPS delivery driver throwing packages out of the truck onto the concrete. In all cases (include the fork-lift smashed one) UPS denied insurance claims because we didn't pack it well enough.

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[Waccoon]

I work for a medical distributor. Our standards for shipping quality are supposed to be much higher than companies like UPS. However, the quality of our operation suffers tremendously from the massive volume we are expected to ship every day.

All of our packages travel on a conveyor belt system without being placed in a tote. Smaller, expensive items are repacked into larger boxes, but these then also go directly on to the belt. Needless to say, belt jams and other mishaps result in considerable damage to product, ranging from scrapes, shavings, and rips (which go to the customer) to holes being punched into the sides (which may be inspected and repacked into other boxes before being shipped, but are usually just taped). So long as the customers accept delivery, that's the quality we continue to deliver. Despite damages and returns processing, we make a decent profit, so the only thing that matters is that line A is larger than line B.

I was surprised to see what the inside of the NewEgg warehouse looks like. All product goes down the conveyor belt in plastic totes, preventing damage. It puts our filthy operation to shame, and I'd bet those $300 video cards aren't much more expensive than the medical devices we deliver. If damages occur regularly, the blame should go to penny-pinching management for providing such a destructive work environment, not the employees.

BTW, I also worked for the USPS in one of their central hubs during the holiday season. Their operation didn't involve a conveyor belt, but it did involve literally throwing boxes into large cardboard tubs sitting on pallets, which were then driven into delivery trucks. The speed we were expected to maintain was the problem, not minimum wage druggies or thugs.

I can't comment on UPS. I've never worked for them, and from what I hear, I don't want to because their operation is even more hectic than ours.

Re:Existing non-electronic variant

[Kazin]

As a former FedEx handler, I can confirm your suspicions - many of the handlers would intentionally smack the shock stickers.

People need to just pack better. Your package WILL be thrown if small, and likely hit the wall of a shipping can. Your package WILL be dropped if large, probably pushed off the side of a conveyor belt. Working there completely changed how I pack stuff, for the better.

Sooo

[Reverand Dave]

Many of the things I have ordered lately have been so grossly over packaged that you could nearly smash the entire package before actually hurting the contents (I'm looking at you Amazon). I can see how this would be really useful for ordering overly fragile things, but if it costs more than shipping insurance is it really going to be worth it?

Re:Sooo

[vux984]

Yes, because people want what they ordered within a few days of ordering it. They do not want to make insurance claims even if they eventually get made whole.

So getting it to the customer right the first time has value.

ShockWatch

[Todd Knarr]

Oh, kind of like the ShockWatch labels we used all the time on shipments then?

Does this mean that Schrödinger...

[patmandu]

...can finally know if he should sign for that mail-order cat?

Who will recycle the sensors?

[rminsk]

Who will recycle the sensors? All we need is more electronics and batteries ending up in the landfill.

Video of Device

[sexconker]

Highly informative video.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q6_9A90cUk

its called efficiency

[decora]

if you ever have a job where you have to sling around heavy rectangular objects all day, you will eventually realize that 'over packaging' is really the solution to most of the problems in the cycle.

it helps machines that auto-sort work faster and better

it helps people who handle stuff work faster

it helps the seller

it helps the buyer

if the industry had to 'coddle' every package it would slow down the entire line - from the machinery based roller setups to the people packing stuff in trucks to the people leaving stuff at your door.

it would almost make more sense for a shipping company to auto-matically 'repack' flimsily packaged items with the identical address and only ship them after doing so, just to avoid the hassle of people who dont understand how the system works.