Components

Overview

This section describes the various components that are used within localnet. These include:

• delivery boxes - taking items to and from properties
• vehicles - transporting the boxes and people
• delivery points - where the boxes are left and collected
• containers - within which many boxes are held, moved, sorted, filled or stored

Delivery Boxes

There are several different types of boxes but only a few different sizes. Boxes are colour coded according to their contents and (with the exception of the InnerBox) share these common characteristics:

• Sturdy and reusable many times, they are made of food-grade plastic.
• Each box is uniquely identifiable both to computers (with an RFID tag buried in it) and to humans (with a written label)
• Boxes can be joined together for easier delivery, sorting and storage.

The table below summarises the main types of box.

Size	Box type	Colour	Delivers	Collects
Large cereal box 36x25x13 cm 14x10x5 in.	Paper	Yellow	Post, newspapers, periodicals	Post, recycled paper/card
	Meal	Orange	Food, drinks	Waste food
	Solids	Branded	Washing powder, dry pet food, cereal, flour, pasta	N/A
	Liquids		Detergent, drinks etc.	N/A
Grocery box 40x36x49 cm 16x14x20 in. (6 x above)	General	Brown	Groceries, online shopping.	Recyclables in four compartments.
	Waste	Black	N/A	Non-recyclable refuse
	Battery	Red	Power to vans	N/A
Cake tin and smaller	Inner	Translucent	Small items, inside other boxes	Small items, inside other boxes

 

Vehicles

There are several types of vehicle used within localnet. Most share many common features. Each of the following types of vehicle is discussed in some depth.

• OmniVans - that carry goods and people between home and the LocalHub 
• Electric Pool Cars - that are available for hire at every LocalHub 
• OmniBuses that carry goods and people between LocalHubs 
• Electric Carts - that are used to transport boxes within city and town centres
• Hand Trucks - which are simple wheeled trolleys used to move a stack of boxes

 

DeliveryPoints

Boxes are delivered to and collected from “DeliveryPoints” in houses and shared dwellings. These vary in cost and sophistication - with the more advanced ones being built into new properties as part of a planned localnet development. Other more basic ones, are typically retro-fitted to existing properties when localnet is introduced to a brown-field site. Again, most DeliveryPoints share a number of common features but the particular design of each of the following types is discussed in some detail.

• MagicCupboard - with access from outside and, optionally, refrigerated and freezer sections
• SmartWaiter - a hatch in your apartment kitchen
• SmartHatch - on the landing of apartment blocks that pre-date localnet
• DeliveryCabinet - added to dwellings that pre-date localnet
• DeliveryPost - by the road for isolated properties a long way from the delivery route

 

Outer Containers

With thousands of boxes being moved every day in each localnet area, these have to be moved, stored and filled in bulk, within outer containers. There are several types of container though these share many common features.

• OmniPod - 7' wide x 7' high x 5' long (approx 2m x 2m x 1.5m)
• Storage Racks - where boxes can be stored efficiently
• Filling Racks - where boxes can be filled efficiently