A new study conducted by DHL, has
found that technologies originally designed for consumer electronics can be
increasingly used in the goods industry. This marks a complete reversal of past
practices in which new technologies were initially applied in business and
migrated to private uses only later, according to the Trend Research team at
DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation. The trend report "Low-Cost Sensor
Technology" shows how technologies like Microsoft's video-game camera
Kinect, smart watches and NFC (near-field communications) technology can be
incorporated into logistics.
"The success of Smartphones
and tablet PCs has created a situation in which employees have better
technology for personal use than they do for business needs," says Dr.
Markus Kückelhaus, Director of Trend Research at DHL Customer Solutions &
Innovation. "But they expect to have the same standard of technology at
work. For this reason, we think companies have to step up and put Smartphone
sensors in particular to work in logistics."
Tablet PCs and Smartphones
contain a large number of sensors that recognize our surroundings. For some
time now, it has been possible to measure acceleration, position or light with
these devices. The technologies contained in them can also be put to use in
logistics. These applications can include recording the arrival time of
shipments in parcel centers as part of tracking and tracing services,
pinpointing the shipment’s exact location and updating their status on an
online platform.
DHL has also successfully tested
two other application areas. Two concepts used to measure pallet volume have
been developed on the basis of sensor systems also found in Microsoft's Kinect.
During testing, measurements made by depth-sensing technology have proven to be
50 percent faster than those performed with past technology. Other potential
uses include fill level measurements for containers and trucks as well as the
monitoring and documentation of freight damage.
Reasonably priced sensors hold a
special appeal to the logistics industry because network-development investments
are generally associated with high costs. But the economies of scale produced
by the mass production of sensors offset these costs. Above all, customers will
profit from this new approach: Volume measurement will make it possible to
better utilize means and networks of transport. Furthermore, CO2
emissions could be lowered as a result of optimal loading, and eventual freight
damage can be better documented.
Other potential uses of
consumer-electronic technologies and technical details can be found in the
trend report "Low-Cost Sensor Technology." The report is available
for download at www.dhl.com/lowcostsensor.
The study is based on the overarching Logistics Trend Radar (www.dhl.com/trendradar).
DHL uses the Trend Radar as a way of identifying future issues that could have
a major impact on the logistics industry.
