With real-time data communications, the proof of concept vehicle can dynamically read all RFID tagged packages as they enter and exit the vehicle, including the ability to send on-demand inventories of the packages in the vehicle as it rolls through its delivery process.

SAVR said the proof of concept solution demonstrated the potential of RFID technology to dramatically change the visibility of packages and cargo available to couriers and customers – visibility that is currently tracked only to the most recent human touch point or distribution facility.

The technology would be especially important for critical or high value shipments, giving better peace of mind to both the logistics community and to their customers.

SAVR said Logistics firms want to know where their delivery vehicle is in real time and visually reinforced through mapping, and where it has been showing pre-programmed intervals of ‘bread-crumb’ locations.

They also need to know what package inventory remains in the vehicle by specific way-bill numbers and to give their customers the ability to track packages in real-time while in transit using a simple web interface, the company said.

SAVR outfitted the van with UHF Gen 2 RFID readers and antennas, then utilised its active tag product line to transmit the real-time, on-demand location and inventory through its wireless communication device.

The device has GPS, Wi-Fi/Wi-Max, GSM cellular, Low Earth Orbit Satellite, and virtually all sensor based capabilities , including temperature, pressure, humidity, motion detection, accelerometers and sound.

SAVR also developed the associated tracking software and GUI interfaces to communicate all this data to the delivery and logistics companies and their customers.

For the logistics companies, efficiencies are going to occur as a result of process improvements that increase overall package visibility, a lower number of lost or misrouted packages, reduced theft, and more effective courier routing.

The project faced a series of challenges, including developing hardware that would work in a rolling metal structure, developing software that could read tagged packages as they entered and exited the vehicle – and then expanding that software to allow “on-demand in-vehicle inventory polling.”