British invention keeps the postman in check using RFID parcel sensors
08 February, 2013
category: RFID
A British invention company called Cambridge Consultants has developed a RFID-based sensor tag to monitor parcel deliveries and determine if it has suffered physical abuse while in transit, according to Gizmodo.
Cleverly dubbed the DropTag, the device combines a battery, a low-energy Bluetooth transmitter, an accelerometer and a memory chip. Stuck to a parcel or package as it leaves an e-commerce warehouse, the tag logs any g-forces that may be deemed abusive or potentially hazardous to the contents within.
When the courier puts it in your hands, you turn on Bluetooth on a smart phone running a DropTag app and scan it before you sign for it. A readout then shows what’s happened to the parcel in transit, with the option of a graph that shows you if the box has been mistreated – and when. If it has clearly been beaten up, you don’t sign and refuse delivery.
The $2 tag will run on a coin battery for weeks and there may be incentives for the parcel deliverer to reuse it after scanning. British patents are already filed, but Cambridge Consultants hopes a major delivery chain or e-commerce firm will buy into the tech at the massive Hannover Messe tech fair in Germany in April.
Read the full story here.
