Danish company SwipBox has released a smart parcel locker that allows packages to be securely delivered by a courier and collected by the intended recipient using their smartphone and Bluetooth® LE connectivity. The ‘SwipBox Infinity’ employs Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF52840 SoC to provide the connectivity between the lockers and a smartphone, and more than 35,000 lockers have already been installed worldwide.
Seamless, trouble-free connectivity
Once the parcel is ready for delivery, couriers can use the ‘SwipBox Courier’ app to receive directions to the recipient’s nearest SwipBox smart parcel locker location. Once at the location, the app connects to the locker using Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity, enabling the courier to pick up any return parcels and deliver new items. The recipient is then notified that their parcel has arrived, and can either download the ‘End User’ app to open the locker door and retrieve their package, or open the notification link (sent via email or text).
“The SwipBox Infinity employs the generous computational power of the nRF52840 SoC’s 64 MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M4 processor to enable decryption and encryption,” says Allan Kaczmarek, Founder of SwipBox. “This allows both couriers and end customers to store parcels securely and open locker doors for drop off or collection.”
The SwipBox Infinity includes a suite of five individual apps for factory, warehousing and maintenance, as well as the courier and end user apps (all of which are available for iOS and Android). “The ability for customers to access their parcel using an app makes collection both easier and faster than traditional lockers,” says Kaczmarek.
Extended battery life
As the lockers are battery-powered, the SwipBox Infinity can be installed in a variety of locations without the need for access to mains power. The product can operate for up to ten years, using non-rechargeable lithium batteries. This lifetime is made possible, thanks, in part, to the ultra low power operating characteristics of the Nordic nRF52840 SoC. The nRF52840 has been engineered to minimize power consumption with a fully-automatic power management system.
“This extended lifetime is key to the product, as the battery cannot be recharged,” says Kaczmarek. “As a result, it needs to last as long as the product will. The excellent power consumption of the nRF52840 SoC was therefore one of the key reasons we selected this chip.
“In addition, the Nordic SoC works on the Zephyr framework, which was ideal as we have migrated to Zephyr for all of our products. The tools and support we received through Nordic’s DevZone were also outstanding.”
