The pandemic has changed innumerable dimensions of our lives – no contact socializing being one. The term ‘untact’ is a combination of the prefix ‘un’ and the word ‘contact’. Untact has been around as a buzzword since 2017, but now it has gone mainstream courtesy of the COVID-19 stricken world. It portrays the way of doing things without direct contact – home deliveries of products being a good example. The volume of contactless deliveries via numerous services like Amazon and Walmart or other small players with a focused regional reach requires a stringent workflow to ensure that the end-user gets the products without any damage.
Foundation Studio pondered over this problem along with the sensitivity of contactless, safe delivery mechanisms. Their solution is the Smart Delivery Storage Box (SDSB), a.k.a. Smartbox, designed in collaboration with Cheolmin. One fundamental problem identified by them both was safe delivery when the recipient is not home. The SDSB solves this issue, along with the contact-less delivery requirement, without any hassles. The app-enabled Smartbox eliminates any chance of losing the package since you as a user can track it in real-time. The delivery man opens the door of the Smartbox with a one-time verification code, places the product to be delivered inside it, and closes it. For security reasons, the cute little delivery box records the instance when the delivery agent places the box. It then only opens up when the QR code is scanned via the app by the owner.
To make the whole user experience more friendly, the display on the Smartbox shows the status of the delivery – whether it is full or empty. The delivery agent also benefits from this display as it shows the status as “Ready to Receive” once the package has arrived in the designated area. I find this concept very interesting as it makes things easier when nobody is home and important package delivery is arriving the same day!
Designer: Foundation Studio and Cheolmin
