3 ms·

I always wondered why things like this weren't more prevalent, and the only answer I could come to was "jobs". That is, given the networks of underground infra

I always wondered why things like this weren't more prevalent, and the only answer I could come to was "jobs". That is, given the networks of underground infrastructure that already exist, it seems like this would be totally plausible for pretty much any midsize+ city to build this out to replace all conventional mail delivery (that is, basically anything that can fit in a standard size mailbox). But that would result in tons of mailmen/women being made redundant. Am I just misunderstanding the complexity of building out one of these systems? Long term it seems like it would be much cheaper than current last mile delivery. I also realize that there are tons of processes that are kept inefficient due to "jobs inertia", so I don't think this is something new. Whenever I have to wait in line at the neighborhood pharmacy to pick up a prescription, I always think "How is pharmacist still a job?" Everything seems like it could be made much more efficient if pill cases were standardized and you could just pick things up at something resembling a vending machine. I'm not saying I never have questions for a pharmacist or want them to review something, but like 50% at least of the stuff they do should be automatable.

Deprecate9151 3y ago
I think for the pharmacists its simply economics. It's cheaper to have 3 or 4 pharmacists and a bunch of much lower payed techs on staff to do the work manually then develop and maintain automation while complying with existing regulations. I know some hospitals have automatic medication dispensing, so I'm assuming they have much higher volume where it makes sense.
- pavel_lishin 3y ago
  Pharmacists can also catch obviously-wrong prescriptions - "This should be milligrams, not grams. If you take 20 grams of this, you'll die, in a spectacular and gruesome fashion." (Granted, pharmacists can also miss things like this - which is why technology, checklists and humans working together are probably the best solution.)
  - hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
    I can't think of any situation where detection of things like wrong dosages, drug interactions, incorrect prescriptions, etc. couldn't be better tracked and identified by an automated system than a human.
imtringued 3y ago
Underground infrastructure is expensive. If anything gets stuck you are screwed. The most inefficient part of parcel delivery isn't the vehicle, it's having the delivery guy wait for the recipient to open the door for them. You could easily solve this problem by putting parcel lockers outside the building.
SoftTalker 3y ago
The costs and complexity of working underground are huge. Most cities have fairly poor documentation and location information on any underground utilites that are more than 40-50 years old. Locally here we have a big project going on to expand municipal fiber. The contractors are every week hitting water lines, gas lines, or sewer lines that aren't exactly where they "are supposed to be" I can only imagine the final costs will vastly exceed estimates when all this damage is taken into account.
pavel_lishin 3y ago
> Am I just misunderstanding the complexity of building out one of these systems? The answer to this question is always yes, regardless of the system in question - unless it's one you're very familiar with yourself.
KaiserPro 3y ago
> Long term it seems like it would be much cheaper than current last mile delivery yes, long term it might be cheaper, but to get to that long term you need to fund the huge upfront cost. Why as a consumer would you want a pipe to your door, as you are now reliant on a single company for all deliveries. if they suddenly turn shit, thats it, you're stuck with them. Its only really makes sense as a way for an uber dense city to reduce van traffic. but even then its probably cheaper and more efficient to use cargo bikes.
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  > Why as a consumer would you want a pipe to your door, as you are now reliant on a single company for all deliveries. if they suddenly turn shit, thats it, you're stuck with them. How is this any different from phone lines, or cable, or water, or sewage, or electric? You can point out "yeah, and look at all the problems with those local-monopoly services!" but I think generally we've figured out how to provide those services at a good value, and even how to support/encourage competition over the same pipes/lines.
  - HWR_14 3y ago
    A common complaint people have is about their (landline) phone or cable company for the same local monopoly reasons. Comcast, etc. famously have high prices and bad customer service in the US.
  - KaiserPro 3y ago
    > How is this any different from phone lines, Its not, apart from currently, there is a plurality of providers for delivery. Obviously that doesn't exist for most utilities. In the states, that causes significant problems

Deprecate9151 3y ago

I think for the pharmacists its simply economics. It's cheaper to have 3 or 4 pharmacists and a bunch of much lower payed techs on staff to do the work manually then develop and maintain automation while complying with existing regulations. I know some hospitals have automatic medication dispensing, so I'm assuming they have much higher volume where it makes sense.

pavel_lishin 3y ago
Pharmacists can also catch obviously-wrong prescriptions - "This should be milligrams, not grams. If you take 20 grams of this, you'll die, in a spectacular and gruesome fashion." (Granted, pharmacists can also miss things like this - which is why technology, checklists and humans working together are probably the best solution.)
- hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
  I can't think of any situation where detection of things like wrong dosages, drug interactions, incorrect prescriptions, etc. couldn't be better tracked and identified by an automated system than a human.

imtringued 3y ago

Underground infrastructure is expensive. If anything gets stuck you are screwed. The most inefficient part of parcel delivery isn't the vehicle, it's having the delivery guy wait for the recipient to open the door for them. You could easily solve this problem by putting parcel lockers outside the building.

SoftTalker 3y ago

The costs and complexity of working underground are huge. Most cities have fairly poor documentation and location information on any underground utilites that are more than 40-50 years old. Locally here we have a big project going on to expand municipal fiber. The contractors are every week hitting water lines, gas lines, or sewer lines that aren't exactly where they "are supposed to be" I can only imagine the final costs will vastly exceed estimates when all this damage is taken into account.

pavel_lishin 3y ago

> Am I just misunderstanding the complexity of building out one of these systems? The answer to this question is always yes, regardless of the system in question - unless it's one you're very familiar with yourself.

KaiserPro 3y ago

> Long term it seems like it would be much cheaper than current last mile delivery yes, long term it might be cheaper, but to get to that long term you need to fund the huge upfront cost. Why as a consumer would you want a pipe to your door, as you are now reliant on a single company for all deliveries. if they suddenly turn shit, thats it, you're stuck with them. Its only really makes sense as a way for an uber dense city to reduce van traffic. but even then its probably cheaper and more efficient to use cargo bikes.

hn_throwaway_99 3y ago
> Why as a consumer would you want a pipe to your door, as you are now reliant on a single company for all deliveries. if they suddenly turn shit, thats it, you're stuck with them. How is this any different from phone lines, or cable, or water, or sewage, or electric? You can point out "yeah, and look at all the problems with those local-monopoly services!" but I think generally we've figured out how to provide those services at a good value, and even how to support/encourage competition over the same pipes/lines.
- HWR_14 3y ago
  A common complaint people have is about their (landline) phone or cable company for the same local monopoly reasons. Comcast, etc. famously have high prices and bad customer service in the US.
- KaiserPro 3y ago
  > How is this any different from phone lines, Its not, apart from currently, there is a plurality of providers for delivery. Obviously that doesn't exist for most utilities. In the states, that causes significant problems