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> For autonomous deliveries, it's the last 10 meters that is the hard part. Couldn't someone build a delivery box (like an american mail box) that could be mou

> For autonomous deliveries, it's the last 10 meters that is the hard part. Couldn't someone build a delivery box (like an american mail box) that could be mounted on your property, close to the curb, within reachable distance from a delivery truck. The truck could stop, tell the 'amazon delivery box' to unlock and open. Then place items in it. There could be various different sized boxes, from small to large chest freezer type things. The box would have some electronics in it, a solar panel on top, it doesn't matter how expensive they are - you can rent them from Amazon or whoever. This would then reduce all the complex variables of how to drop packages off at the destination.

saulrh 11y ago
This would be ridiculously useful for apartments, if you can find the space for it curbside. Large packages right now are delivered in one of two ways: 1) They leave it at the door. Risk of theft. 2) They leave it with the rent office, which is only open 9-5. Regular job? You have to either wait until Saturday, or you're screwed if your rent office isn't open Saturday. I've thought in the past about trying to design a door door with a mail flap equivalent that works for really large packages, or something you could build into the wall next to a door to replace a coat closet that'd serve the same purpose. Moving it out to the curb and making it automation-capable sounds like an excellent proposal for this purpose.
- allannienhuis 11y ago
  You wouldn't even need one container per apartment/resident - just a reasonable number of various sized compartments. A keypad/pinpad or touch screen login would open the appropriate container for the customer. This is how Canada post handles parcel deliveries with their 'super mailboxes' (without the keypad part as they do have a small box for each unit where a key is dropped). [edit] Authentication could be handled in a lot of different ways: QR code, RFID or other card/dongle/phone/internet based ways.
  - kaybe 11y ago
    Like this you mean? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation We have those in Germany, it's quite common. Opening is done with a card and code or barcode. The article mentions countries with similar systems: Austria, Finnland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Canada, Australia and United Arab Emirates. edit: And not mentioned in the text but there is an image from Denmark.
  - whitegrape 11y ago
    In one of my previous houses (in Washington), we were on a hill with several other homes sharing the main private drive up the hill. We had a centralized apartment style mailbox with a slot for each house, and two big slots for larger packages. The postman had the same system of inserting the key for the bigger mailbox into your personal box.
- GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago
  20 years ago I was living in an apartment building where all the mailboxes were in a common location, with four large boxes for parcels. If you got a package, the mail deliverer would put it in a large box, and put a key to the large box in your personal mailbox. In this age of amazon and online delivery in general, I don't think it's going to be that scalable, but it is an alternative.
- codecamper 11y ago
  Add in terrorism, then you'll need to only allow authorized deliveries. SSH for parcels.
fudged71 11y ago
Google bought Bufferbox a long time ago. They recently showed interest in actually having the autonomous vehicle have a bufferbox on it so you have to walk to the vehicle to get your package.

saulrh 11y ago

This would be ridiculously useful for apartments, if you can find the space for it curbside. Large packages right now are delivered in one of two ways: 1) They leave it at the door. Risk of theft. 2) They leave it with the rent office, which is only open 9-5. Regular job? You have to either wait until Saturday, or you're screwed if your rent office isn't open Saturday. I've thought in the past about trying to design a door door with a mail flap equivalent that works for really large packages, or something you could build into the wall next to a door to replace a coat closet that'd serve the same purpose. Moving it out to the curb and making it automation-capable sounds like an excellent proposal for this purpose.

allannienhuis 11y ago
You wouldn't even need one container per apartment/resident - just a reasonable number of various sized compartments. A keypad/pinpad or touch screen login would open the appropriate container for the customer. This is how Canada post handles parcel deliveries with their 'super mailboxes' (without the keypad part as they do have a small box for each unit where a key is dropped). [edit] Authentication could be handled in a lot of different ways: QR code, RFID or other card/dongle/phone/internet based ways.
- kaybe 11y ago
  Like this you mean? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packstation We have those in Germany, it's quite common. Opening is done with a card and code or barcode. The article mentions countries with similar systems: Austria, Finnland, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Canada, Australia and United Arab Emirates. edit: And not mentioned in the text but there is an image from Denmark.
- whitegrape 11y ago
  In one of my previous houses (in Washington), we were on a hill with several other homes sharing the main private drive up the hill. We had a centralized apartment style mailbox with a slot for each house, and two big slots for larger packages. The postman had the same system of inserting the key for the bigger mailbox into your personal box.
GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago
20 years ago I was living in an apartment building where all the mailboxes were in a common location, with four large boxes for parcels. If you got a package, the mail deliverer would put it in a large box, and put a key to the large box in your personal mailbox. In this age of amazon and online delivery in general, I don't think it's going to be that scalable, but it is an alternative.
codecamper 11y ago
Add in terrorism, then you'll need to only allow authorized deliveries. SSH for parcels.

fudged71 11y ago

Google bought Bufferbox a long time ago. They recently showed interest in actually having the autonomous vehicle have a bufferbox on it so you have to walk to the vehicle to get your package.