A shared cargo container
A shared container gives every machine the same mechanical interface. It also gives the software a single unit to track across each stage of the trip.
Keep the cargo together
Our starting point is a reusable container that stays with the goods from loading to delivery. The vessel, the dock transfer and the ground robot are being designed around that same unit. At each handover, the machine changes while the cargo remains inside its container.
Design the interface once
A shared container makes the connections between machines a central design problem. The lifting points, restraints and docking surfaces need to work together across the whole system. Developing these interfaces together lets us examine a change to the container in the context of the vessel and the equipment that will handle it.
Connect the physical and digital journey
The same unit also gives the software a consistent object to follow. The intended workflow links a container to its shipment, its position in the journey and its next handover. The next design questions concern loading, securing and transferring that unit, with the mechanical details still to be validated through engineering and testing.
