#logistics

#logistics

Switzerland Begins Work on Underground Autonomous Package Delivery SystemCargo Sous Terrain (“cargo underground” in French) is a Swiss initiative to build a computer-controlled cargo delivery system that will move freight underground through a series of tunnels crisscrossing the country. The vehicles will travel continuously at about 19 MPH along these underground pathways.This goals of Cargo Sous Terrain are to reduce the traffic congestion caused by package delivery trucks and increase the efficiency of parcel services. This $3.4 (USD) billion project was first proposed in 2016. Now it has received government approval to begin construction. Given projections that package delivery demands will increase 37% from 2010 to 2040 in Switzerland, there’s definitely a market for alternatives to road transport for this sector. You can read more at IEEE Spectrum.-via Marginal Revolution#Switzerland #logistics

Driving a Forklift May Soon Be a Desk JobEveryone's working remotely nowadays and the long list of remote work may soon include forklift operators.In collaboration with Mitsubishi Logisnext, remote operation software company Phantom Auto is making forklift driving into a desk job.From Bloomberg:“We’re moving warehouse workers into office jobs,” Elliot Katz, Phantom Auto co-founder and chief business officer, said in an interview. Because it removes geographic labor restrictions and improves efficiency as drivers can be “teleported” into factories experiencing surges, the software offers the potential to knock 30% or more off forklift operation costs, Katz said.#forklift #deskjob #RemoteOperation #PhantomAuto #logistics

LS3: The Marine's Robot HorseYou might have seen Spot, the robot dog developed by Boston Dynamics. But did you know that the cute (well, relatively cute) bot actually had much creepy precursors named the BigDog and the Legged Squad Support System (LS3) robots.The DARPA-funded LS3 was to function as a pack mule, able to carry 400 lb (180 kg) of equipment for a squad of marines and travel a distance of 20 miles without refueling. And thus, Boston Dynamics built it in the approximate shape and size of a horse.The LS3 responded to voice commands, including those to autonomously follow a human controller along a path. During a training exercise, one marine company nicknamed their robot, "Cujo" and noted that the robot could reach places difficult to reach by all-terrain vehicles. When the robot fell over due to steep hills, it was able to right itself most of the time.In 2015, the Marines discontinued the LS3 program, because the gas-powered robot was too loud for stealthy movements, and that it would be difficult to repair in the fields.#robot #LS3 #horse #BostonDynamics #DARPA #militaryequipment #logistics