[HN Gopher] Smart Drone Mailbox Secures the Future of "Last Inch...
___________________________________________________________________
Smart Drone Mailbox Secures the Future of "Last Inch" Deliveries
Author : jelliclesfarm
Score : 19 points
Date : 2021-01-19 19:26 UTC (3 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (now.northropgrumman.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (now.northropgrumman.com)
| psds2 wrote:
| Seems like something that could be replicated with a square piece
| of cardboard and a QR code sticker the drone reads.
| Brendinooo wrote:
| >"The mailbox has not been disrupted since 1858 (when the U.S.
| Postal Service was launched)," said O'Toole. "Between smart cars,
| smart phones and smart houses, it's time for the mailbox to catch
| up."
|
| That is such an irksome sentence. And inaccurate, too? The Post
| Office goes back to the late 1700s, home delivery wasn't a thing
| until 1863, and the mailbox wasn't really a thing until around
| 1915.
| mrRandomGuy wrote:
| I hope your READY to REVOLUTIONIZE LAST INCH MAIL DELIVERY via
| DISRUPTING TRADITIONAL MECHANISMS OF MAIL and make the world a
| better place.
| dharmab wrote:
| Mailboxes were around since 1896, with standards being
| published in 1901. The current iconic design dates to 1915.
|
| Before then, home delivery was via mail slot or by handing the
| recipient the mail directly.
|
| https://99percentinvisible.org/article/open-source-icon-rura...
| ampdepolymerase wrote:
| Castle doctrines and make your day laws have to be updated to
| allow automated defences and booby traps. Right now the classical
| legal question of securing your mail box against vandalism and
| theft leaves you vulnerable to civil lawsuit and criminal
| prosecution. I can see this product finding customers in the
| Prairies and certain parts of the Midwest. New York and
| California? A one way trip to jail and bankruptcy.
| crooked-v wrote:
| This is, in practical terms, a bigger version of a one-way mail
| slot. I fail to see how it would be a 'defense' or 'trap', and
| indeed a major part of the point of authenticating drones would
| be to avoid the problems that could come with accidentally
| trapping small animals with a much simpler one-way spring
| mechanism.
| alkonaut wrote:
| You'd want "one way" drone delivery mailboxes just like a
| regular mailbox is one way and must be opened with a key.
|
| The package should be dropped on a trapdoor with a locked
| compartment underneath. It's still vulnerable to theft and
| vandalism, but it's no different from anything dropped by the
| mailman.
| eindiran wrote:
| Colorado's "Make my day" law seem a little out-of-place in this
| discussion, as it only concerns deadly force and is only
| applicable to intruders into your house (ie once the intruder
| has crossed the threshold of your door or a window). "Porch
| pirates" and package thieves are a big enough concern now that
| they probably warrant their own laws, but I don't think we
| should be authorizing deadly force against them.
| germinalphrase wrote:
| How serious is this comment?
| shuntress wrote:
| Did we read the same article?
| thesis wrote:
| Personally... I want the opposite. I want my own drone that I can
| send to businesses to do pickups for me. Pharmacies, pizza, etc.
| germinalphrase wrote:
| What does this drone solution solve that a "smart" (electronic
| locking) package delivery box wouldn't?
| shuntress wrote:
| A drone can land on it.
| ortusdux wrote:
| My first thought is that something like this would do well in my
| home town, where the average person is over 60 and a millionaire.
| Most of the area is zoned 5+ acre per lot, and no one wants to
| build by the road, so its plenty of old people with nice houses
| and long driveways.
| djrogers wrote:
| Ok, fully aware that this is a really tiny problem, and does not
| in any way apply to 99% of people, but my mailbox is ~500' from
| my front door, and on really rainy days I'd love to have a drone
| bring my mail back the the house.
|
| For now my 11 and 14 year olds will have to suffice - maybe this
| tech will be mature by the time the last kid moves out?
|
| -- _edit: ok, I skimmed the article too fast and assumed this was
| a mailbox that WAS a drone, not FOR a drone. Not quite as cool._
| dharmab wrote:
| Most people I know in rural areas with this problem drive to
| their mailboxes in their truck/side-by-side/ATV.
|
| If you'd like to create your own solution, refer to
| https://www.usps.com/manage/mailboxes.htm to get information on
| the dimensions and requirements of a compliant mailbox.
| ghaff wrote:
| If it's really bad weather, I'll usually just wait until the
| next day. There's very little I'm anxiously waiting for. One
| of my neighbors always ride their ATV down the driveway to
| get their mail. Like mine, it's long but not _that_ long
| (~500 ft.). Personally, I find it a good excuse to stretch my
| legs especially these days.
| 4rt wrote:
| not sure the reality of this.
|
| who are the people buying a ~$1000? mains-connected - and pretty
| huge, ugly and imposing - "smart mailbox" just to get deliveries
| of the dozen or so items a year that will be under the 500g or so
| weight limit for drone deliveries?
|
| who lives in an area where wind and rain are such a rare
| occurence that they will happily postpone a delivery a day or
| two, has the room and money for such a device and doesn't already
| have a back yard where the drone could drop it.
|
| seems like an invention looking for a reason to exist, or more
| likely just a "we're-relevant" marketing exercise for northrop.
| corobo wrote:
| I have a balcony and find it cool. I dunno about $1000 but I'd
| definitely think about it.
|
| Cool isn't a "I would definitely buy this product" though
| because it'd never be as good as I imagine it to be. I might
| get in on version 5 or so like I did with Roombas
| shaftway wrote:
| FWIW, it only has to be ugly and imposing from the air. I'd
| much prefer something on my roof for this that delivers the
| packages directly inside. Makes it easier for the drones,
| prevents porch pirates, etc.
|
| Basically I want the drones to drop my stuff down a chimney
| like Santa Claus.
| jvm_ wrote:
| Dumbwaiters make a resurgence, except now they hookup to the
| roof.
| rascul wrote:
| Seems like roof delivery could also be safer, since there's
| generally less people on a roof than on the ground.
| danesparza wrote:
| Drones are noisy. 100's of them flying in your neighborhood at
| once is a very bad plan.
| corytheboyd wrote:
| This rarely comes up when the general topic of using drones to
| solve problems like this is discussed. Even just one drone is
| quite loud, I can't imagine many of them. Next to my home. In
| flight potentially many times a day.
| Anechoic wrote:
| For what it's worth, the big tech companies working on drone
| delivery (including Uber & Amazon) are aware of noise
| concerns and are working with noise control researchers to
| develop quieter drones and noise control criteria.
| ghaff wrote:
| To my recollection, it comes up all the time. By all means,
| use drones to deliver emergency supplies and things like
| that. But buzzing around all day in a neighborhood? No thank
| you.
| lallysingh wrote:
| There's a lot of active research on quiet drones. Expect that
| issue to get sorted out.
|
| Defense, law enforcement, etc are interested.
| [deleted]
| thecrumb wrote:
| All I really see if a faraday cage lined mailbox which I can
| remotely open, drone falls in and then I can salvage it for parts
| for my own drone. :)
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2021-01-19 23:01 UTC)