The smart container? Easier said than done!

Being able to connect to our containers anywhere, anytime to check everything is running smoothly may sound easy these days. But to achieve that actually requires overcoming a whole range of challenges. I thought it’d be helpful to talk about them here ahead of IoT Tech Expo World Series Europe where I'm very much looking forward to seeing all our partners, friends and future Aelerians (we’re hiring!) face-to-face again!

Back to the start. Today many of the objects surrounding us are connected, making them clever or ‘smart’ as the expression goes. How did this happen? Thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). This revolution, that changed our phones, cars and even light bulbs, is also at play in logistics. But connecting a container to the web comes with some pretty formidable challenges. Let’s have a look at what they are - buckle up tight, it’s quite a ride!

First, there’s the natural habitat of the container. Filled up with all kinds of goods, it travels on sea, road and rail for up to 10 years (on average) and goes through extreme weather patterns and temperature swings. Picture -40° in the Arctics, +60° degrees in the Suez canal.

There’s also corrosion from sea salt to factor in, prolonged exposure to UV rays, mechanical shocks – they can reach several Gs – and constant vibrations sure to loosen up any electronic that’s not perfectly fitted.

In such varied and sometimes harsh conditions, the design of the IoT’s hardware can be nothing else than perfect. Any weakness and the system is out with a good chance that the incident is happening on the other side of the planet! So, you always have to think robust - very robust - inside and out, watertight and long autonomy.

Here comes in battery performance. What’s required is a battery with the longest possible autonomy that charges via solar panels that might only get sunlight 1 in every 10 days. Why so infrequently? Because some parts of the globe don’t get much sun, of course, and also a container can get stacked under many others putting it a long way from sunlight.

The broadly used lithium-based batteries aren’t an option here. They can’t withstand extreme temperatures and so finding the right battery compounds is yet another challenge. As said, nothing comes easy in this game, putting it on a par with the difficulties the automotive industry tackles.

The challenges on the software side are just as demanding. Making a container smart demands internet connectivity to transfer data up and updates back down. This creates a potential entry point for hackers to infiltrate and attack larger networks. The key here is to build a protected network by design, meaning integrating security processes from the start, not bolting them on later, and consolidating this protection with regular updates.

Last but not least, there’s no clear standard consensus yet around how a container will be connected to its carrying vessel. Bluetooth, wifi, 3G and others standards are all potential options. At AELER, we’ve included a wide range of technologies in our embedded system in order to be ready for whatever comes next. That’s something enabled by our unique approach where hardware and software are developed in tandem and in an integrated way.

All these challenges resolved; we get onto what’s probably the most exciting part. That’s the journey from generating descriptive data to diagnostic and eventually predictive data. Descriptive data is ‘just’ data, like the temperature inside a container. Predictive data enables us to forecast how likely something is going to happen – like fruits ripening too fast - on what route and when. This warns our clients about potential issues, giving them time to plan corrective measures.

Finding solutions to all these challenges with the team and our partners is really rewarding. It’s also exciting to design a system that then takes on a life of its own and opens so many possibilities. Fastened and let’s make the future happen now!

Quentin Cabrol , AELER’s R&D Lead