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Topic: Courier Network (For real) (Read 11516 times)

sr. member
Activity: 490
Merit: 250
October 15, 2013, 10:42:16 PM
#94
A small autonomous robot capable of carrying a useful package (say ~1kg) and having sufficient sensors and machine vision capabilities to guide itself from point A to point B and avoid obstacles, vandals, unforeseen occurrences (bird hitting it or a kid running in front of it), and ward off the occasional angry house pet...

This is going to cost a LOT.

Since they have a limited lifetime and require fuel and maintenance would the total costs ultimately be cheaper than a minimum wage dude with a truck?

If this existed, drugs would be trafficked like this all over the place
legendary
Activity: 1330
Merit: 1000
legendary
Activity: 3472
Merit: 1722
May 22, 2012, 03:15:23 AM
#91
What about floating container with an anchor? The seller would leave it somewhere in the ocean and then give its coordinates to a buyer.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/four-tons-marijuana-found-floating-off-southern-california-170826556.html

Every great idea is destined to be copied, and implemented poorly.

You don't anchor at the ocean you have to keep moving. Only cases are sea anchors used during storms or you could anchor for a while if the water was very shallow and calm but someone would still have to be put on watch.
legendary
Activity: 1330
Merit: 1000
May 21, 2012, 11:27:42 PM
#90
What about floating container with an anchor? The seller would leave it somewhere in the ocean and then give its coordinates to a buyer.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/four-tons-marijuana-found-floating-off-southern-california-170826556.html

Every great idea is destined to be copied, and implemented poorly.
hero member
Activity: 602
Merit: 513
GLBSE Support [email protected]
hero member
Activity: 900
Merit: 1000
Crypto Geek
rjk
sr. member
Activity: 448
Merit: 250
1ngldh
March 23, 2012, 08:11:11 PM
#87
An anonymous network for shipping physical items is theoretically possible, and could be organized like Tor.

1) When you buy something you give the seller an encrypted version of your address that s/he cannot read.
2) The seller ships the package to a reshipper who has the ability to decrypt your address.
3) The reshipper then ships your package through normal channels like UPS.

The main benefit of this system is if the seller is busted for some reason, your name/address are not compromised.

An obvious weakness of this system is if the reshipper is compromised.  A way around this is to have multiple reshippers with layers of encryption and each reshipper peels off only one layer to see which reshipper to send it next (or to you).

You the buyer could even encrypt the entire reshipping route to follow.  The seller would then ship the package to the reshipper you specify when s/he decrypts the address.

The main weakness of this whole deal is the "exit node" i.e. reshippers that can see your real physical address so it can be shipped conventionally to you.
Interesting concept. In theory, the "exit node" could simply be a drop location, although this could still be subject to surveillance.
legendary
Activity: 916
Merit: 1003
March 23, 2012, 02:58:04 PM
#86
An anonymous network for shipping physical items is theoretically possible, and could be organized like Tor.

1) When you buy something you give the seller an encrypted version of your address that s/he cannot read.
2) The seller ships the package to a reshipper who has the ability to decrypt your address.
3) The reshipper then ships your package through normal channels like UPS.

The main benefit of this system is if the seller is busted for some reason, your name/address are not compromised.

An obvious weakness of this system is if the reshipper is compromised.  A way around this is to have multiple reshippers with layers of encryption and each reshipper peels off only one layer to see which reshipper to send it next (or to you).

You the buyer could even encrypt the entire reshipping route to follow.  The seller would then ship the package to the reshipper you specify when s/he decrypts the address.

The main weakness of this whole deal is the "exit node" i.e. reshippers that can see your real physical address so it can be shipped conventionally to you.
sr. member
Activity: 406
Merit: 250
QUIFAS EXCHANGE
March 23, 2012, 02:43:41 PM
#85

what? are you kidding. I am so going to want to try this if I goto sf.
legendary
Activity: 1330
Merit: 1000
March 23, 2012, 02:38:11 PM
#84
Dammit someone already registered pizzacopter.com  Cheesy
hero member
Activity: 602
Merit: 513
GLBSE Support [email protected]
rjk
sr. member
Activity: 448
Merit: 250
1ngldh
sr. member
Activity: 322
Merit: 250
hero member
Activity: 602
Merit: 513
GLBSE Support [email protected]
August 29, 2011, 09:53:09 PM
#80
Actually the whole Bitdrop project (that is the implementation of this network) stalled a couple of months ago (due to me not being able to give it the attention it needs) and then has come back to life.

I've got several people on board with me about this (developers etc.), a business plan, and soon we'll be IPO'ing on the bitcoin stock market (GLBSE.com) for funding.
newbie
Activity: 29
Merit: 0
May 29, 2011, 03:20:27 AM
#79
This whole thread reminds me of that book by Daniel Suarez.
hero member
Activity: 588
Merit: 500
May 28, 2011, 09:49:44 PM
#78
The Colombians are doing some amazing things with submarines these days.
sr. member
Activity: 322
Merit: 250
May 28, 2011, 09:48:27 PM
#77
What about floating container with an anchor? The seller would leave it somewhere in the ocean and then give its coordinates to a buyer. It would would like a meatspace Loom. Although, that idea isn't very robotic. I think the container would have to remain totally submerged, only to release its anchor and rise to the surface when the buyer came along and emitted a signal of some sort. There: kind of robotic.

...but not much of a courier.   Undecided
legendary
Activity: 1330
Merit: 1000
May 28, 2011, 09:28:12 PM
#76
I'd like to see a craft that mimics a shipping container, mostly submerged, slowly propelled with the juice from some roof mounted solar cells. Security through obscurity?

Unfortunately, cargo ships use vast amounts of energy.  A decent-sized (20ft) vessel wouldn't generate enough electricity to overcome even a modest ocean current.  A collector area of 18ft x 6ft, for instance, could (even at 100% efficiency) produce only about 14 horsepower -- barely enough to troll around a quiet lake.
sr. member
Activity: 322
Merit: 250
May 28, 2011, 09:17:45 PM
#75
No fuel, ok but what powers the electronics and servos?
Wind/water turbines and/or solar.

I'd like to see a craft that mimics a shipping container, mostly submerged, slowly propelled with the juice from some roof mounted solar cells. Security through obscurity?
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