Organizations joining forces with the esteemed Curiosity Lab is, to put this casually, a very big deal. To word it more formally, being a part of Curiosity Lab opens the door to developing next-gen technologies with essentially zero roadblocks; a forward-thinking haven for innovations in the nation’s premier smart city ecosystem.
So, yeah. It’s a big deal.
Enter Smartmile, builders of ecosystem parcel lockers (a.k.a. Smartmile Hubs). At one Hub, parcels can be picked up, returned, or shipped out to or from any courier. (The alternative being a drive-around-town type of errand, visiting different pick-up points.) So, by connecting couriers and customers in a more convenient fashion, fewer trips equal reduced traffic and minimized stop-and-start journeys, thus less congestion with a focus on sustainability. Smartmile considers one’s location, the distance to and from a parcel machine, the types of transportation taken to deliver and receive it, the materials used to wrap deliveries, etc. That’s why sustainable solutions in the last mile are vital, and why Smartmile is addressing them.
These supermarket-esque Smartmile Hubs function for more than smaller carbon footprints, though. For ecosystems of these parcel lockers to have the right services enabled, powerful software that can talk to all systems involved is necessary. To stay connected, Smartmile has engineered a collaborative low-code to no-code service design to connect all parties. Pair that with prospects of reusable packaging and smart-enabled rental equipment, and the impacts stretch even further.
Taking all of this into account, Smartmile’s new collaboration with the Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners – the smart city powered by real-world infrastructure and 5G in Georgia’s metro-Atlanta region – makes a whole world of sense.
Often called the “Silicon Orchard” (rather than Silicon Valley), Peachtree Corners is a vibrant, smart-running municipality that’s home to more than 45,000 residents and many world’s-first deployments; teleoperated e-scooters, fully autonomous shuttles, solar roadways and more. As I wrote above, it’s a smart city ecosystem and a lively hub primed for innovation, which is again why it’s a perfect fit for Smartmile and its Hub systems.
“Our neutral, sustainable, and effective last-mile delivery systems are like no other,” said Steffen Luippold, Smartmile’s CTO. “Collaborating with the Curiosity Lab will allow our company to conduct research and experiments, while gaining a deeper understanding of the American market, its core challenges, and how we can best adapt our solutions to fit the needs of U.S. couriers and customers. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to use it as our first deployment location in the U.S., as well as to expand our Smartmile software. This software is flexible, scalable and future-oriented, and it supports our sustainability mission immensely.”
This news could be a beacon for U.S.-based, last-mile stakeholders seeking a simplified structure for delivery experiences. In Europe, Smartmile has already established itself via 250 Smartmile Hubs, 16 partner integrations, and approximately 3,601,556 deliveries completed.
“With Smartmile Hubs successfully deployed in Europe,” said Brandon Branham, the Curiosity Lab’s Executive Director and Peachtree Corners’ Assistant Manager and CTO, “we are excited to collaborate with Smartmile and to help bring their solutions to the U.S. Their innovations support city sustainability, and they reduce delivery congestion and retailer overload. We’re always searching for companies and solutions that will improve the daily lives of our residents, and we’re looking forward to seeing positive impacts from Smartmile.”
Read more about another big Curiosity Lab collaboration
here.
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
