> The pipe is 18 inches wide — large enough to fit 40 banana
Americans will use literally anything except the metric system.
And bicycles, I guess.
An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
101–110 of 196 posts
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#102What problem is this system trying to solve? It seems to be, in this initial deployment, that the office park is too far away from the restaurants its employees want to visit, compelling them to drive there. I feel like a better solution would be permitting denser and mixed-use development, so employees can walk to their favorite restaurants on the ground floor instead of driving >1km to them or paying for a delivery…
And/or encouraging more use of things like bikes. I'd bet that painting a bike lane and putting up concrete barriers is cheaper than trenching out a three-quarter mile pseudo-pneumatic-tube-system.
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#103If any Dutch entrepreneur is listening: I have been dreaming about the same delivery mechanism for the Netherlands. Difference with Atlanta? There are canals everywhere, inside and outside the cities. It might be possible to just lay a waterproof pipe at the bottom of many existing canals to create an extremely cheap network for autonomous robotic deliveries.
It feels like repairing such a system would be significantly more difficult - if you get a crack or a leak, your whole system is suddenly flooded, and if you need to repair just one section, you have to find a way to keep the rest dry.
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#104I always wondered why things like this weren't more prevalent, and the only answer I could come to was "jobs". That is, given the networks of underground infrastructure that already exist, it seems like this would be totally plausible for pretty much any midsize+ city to build this out to replace all conventional mail delivery (that is, basically anything that can fit in a standard size mailbox). But that would resul…
> Am I just misunderstanding the complexity of building out one of these systems?
The answer to this question is always yes, regardless of the system in question - unless it's one you're very familiar with yourself.
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#105I always wondered why things like this weren't more prevalent, and the only answer I could come to was "jobs". That is, given the networks of underground infrastructure that already exist, it seems like this would be totally plausible for pretty much any midsize+ city to build this out to replace all conventional mail delivery (that is, basically anything that can fit in a standard size mailbox). But that would resul…
I think for the pharmacists its simply economics. It's cheaper to have 3 or 4 pharmacists and a bunch of much lower payed techs on staff to do the work manually then develop and maintain automation while complying with existing regulations. I know some hospitals have automatic medication dispensing, so I'm assuming they have much higher volume where it makes sense.
Pharmacists can also catch obviously-wrong prescriptions - "This should be milligrams, not grams. If you take 20 grams of this, you'll die, in a spectacular and gruesome fashion."
(Granted, pharmacists can also miss things like this - which is why technology, checklists and humans working together are probably the best solution.)
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#106I was curious how the package is loaded and unloaded, given that it's underground, but they seem to have some kind of crane, and at the destinations they have basically a package locker. At least, that's what the video seems to show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STZJyfAl5bU Putting a package locker at every location seems kind of expensive. Maybe it works if you're delivering to bigger buildings like offices or ap…
I can imagine people sending sabotage packages, like a spray foam can set to release on a trigger, or sending down a car airbag, or straight up dumping oil or flammables into the shoot or other trash.
It doesn't even have to be malicious.
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#107If any Dutch entrepreneur is listening: I have been dreaming about the same delivery mechanism for the Netherlands. Difference with Atlanta? There are canals everywhere, inside and outside the cities. It might be possible to just lay a waterproof pipe at the bottom of many existing canals to create an extremely cheap network for autonomous robotic deliveries.
why not use boats, on the surface of the water?
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#108I always wondered why things like this weren't more prevalent, and the only answer I could come to was "jobs". That is, given the networks of underground infrastructure that already exist, it seems like this would be totally plausible for pretty much any midsize+ city to build this out to replace all conventional mail delivery (that is, basically anything that can fit in a standard size mailbox). But that would resul…
> Long term it seems like it would be much cheaper than current last mile delivery
yes, long term it might be cheaper, but to get to that long term you need to fund the huge upfront cost.
Why as a consumer would you want a pipe to your door, as you are now reliant on a single company for all deliveries. if they suddenly turn shit, thats it, you're stuck with them.
Its only really makes sense as a way for an uber dense city to reduce van traffic. but even then its probably cheaper and more efficient to use cargo bikes.
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#109What problem is this system trying to solve? It seems to be, in this initial deployment, that the office park is too far away from the restaurants its employees want to visit, compelling them to drive there. I feel like a better solution would be permitting denser and mixed-use development, so employees can walk to their favorite restaurants on the ground floor instead of driving >1km to them or paying for a delivery…
And/or encouraging more use of things like bikes. I'd bet that painting a bike lane and putting up concrete barriers is cheaper than trenching out a three-quarter mile pseudo-pneumatic-tube-system.
Have you spent any time in Atlanta in August? Biking outside is not just biking, but also swimming - through the humidity. I don't mind it (avid all-season mountain biker) but most office workers wouldn't opt for that in their fancy office clothing just for a sandwich.
Re: An underground delivery train comes to the Atlanta suburbs
#110> The pipe is 18 inches wide — large enough to fit 40 banana Americans will use literally anything except the metric system. And bicycles, I guess.
Heck, try to get them to use their legs. We had neighbors two houses over that would always DRIVE to visit us - from their house. They thought our car was broken down whenever I walked half a mile to the grocery. America is weird.