With box banks at the centre of the revolutionary ByBox distribution service, the company has been working hard to ensure they are as easy, flexible and convenient to use as possible.
A number of recently introduced innovations have helped ByBox create a new generation of 'intelligent' boxes that do just this, giving customers an enhanced level of service and an insight into the future of goods delivery using the most advanced technology to date.
The new generation of electronic box banks feature a host of innovations to make them user friendly and secure. Suitable for external and internal use, each box bank's configuration can now be quickly adapted to meet changing demands, with individual boxes available in a variety of different door sizes that increase their capability to handle goods of all types.
The box banks incorporate a number of security features to protect goods, and each box bank is fitted with a central console and in some cases a touch screen that customers use to retrieve and deposit goods.
Adding to these basic functions, ByBox has now developed a number of new features that take the electronic dropbox networks to the next level. Including a 100% solar powered box bank, using biometric hand vein technology to increase access security, and the added option of a fitted weighing machine for people wishing to ship parcels to another box bank.
The new ByBox solar-powered box banks run on energy generated by solar panels that are integrated into the overhead canopy. Requiring no fixed electric power supply, makes them ideal for installation in locations that were not previously accessible and removes the cost of installing underground power cables. Moreover, the type and size of the solar panels can be adjusted to take account of the location and the power needed to run the box bank, so there is no need for a back-up energy source.
The clever design of the solar box bank also includes intelligent sensors that detect human activity around the site and 'wake' the system up as required so that it can operate on demand. Once 'awake', internal software calculates how much power is required to perform the various functions and provides this to the central console as it manages the various box bank tasks, saving energy.
The addition of hand vein biometric technology to box banks meanwhile offers new levels of security to those needing premium services and/or customised applications where the principal requirement is the identification of the user, and where the typical inputting of a personal code or scan of a loyalty card is insufficient.
This innovation is ideally suited to situations where the boxes contain expensive goods or sensitive documents, as this type of biometric solution is proven to be the most secure and reliable, and it is not susceptible to inaccuracy as a result of humidity, dust, temperature, age or imitation.
Finally, ByBox has just introduced a box bank design that incorporates a weighing machine, which instantly calculates the dimensions and weight of the parcel so as to ensure accurate costing as well as allowing customers greater visibility and control over the cost of the goods they want to send through the system.
The weighing machine dropbox is easy to use and once the registered user has been identified they simply insert their credit card and enters the relevant data via the touch screen. The parcel is then placed on the integral weighing machine, fee calculated and paid for, following which a self adhesive label is printed with the address details and barcode.
The user then scans it and the locker door opens automatically. Once the door is closed a receipt is produced and the parcel is routed to its destination.
Commenting on the new innovations introduced to make the box bank delivery system better suited to consumer needs, the company's CTO Dan Turner said "Our aim is to provide a business model that can be quickly adapted to meet every new challenge and continuous innovation is a vital part of this process.
"We are working hard to identify the new requirements and investing heavily in R&D to find solutions. I think these examples of our innovation and ability to think outside the box demonstrate out commitment to providing consumers with everything they want and perhaps a few things they have not thought of yet.
"It's why we have been successful to date and why we will continue to surprise the industry in the future," he adds.