Video: Hidden Camera Captures How Mail Gets From Point A To Point B
Isn’t it a pisser to eagerly await a package only to find the box all smushed and the much-anticipated item damaged when it finally arrives? We’ve all seen the horror stories on TV: Delivery men who toss parcels marked “fragile” over fences and onto porches, disregarding those all-important shipping instructions. One technologically-clever fellow decided to get a first-hand look at the life a package from point A to point B. London desiger Ruben van der Vleuten devised a camera system within a package and videoed the box’s experience from his home to its final destination.
How did he do it? First, van der Vleuten secured a small camera in a box and cut a tiny hole for it to record the world around it. With an Auduino microcontroller, he programmed the camera to record a three-second video every minute and longer video when the controller detected the box was moving. Then he rode his bike to the post office and shipped the package to some friends.
The resulting video footage shows the package traveling from van der Vleuten’s home to the post office, to the distribution center, onto a delivery truck and finally to his friends’ home. And although parts of the journey could certainly be described as nothing short of a bumpy ride, nothing went wrong. The package arrived safe and sound without any abuse. Good for him. If only that could always be the case. Maybe we should try shipping some hidden cameras on this side of the pond. It might keep our delivery people on their toes.
