company.
The first part of the deployment will occur inside UPS sorting centers and hubs. It involves pager-sized Bluetooth scanners, worn on the middle finger, (shown in photo below) which send package tracking data to small Wi-Fi (802.11b) terminals worn on the waist by package sorters. The Wi-Fi devices, made by Motorola and running Windows CE, then send the tracking data to UPS's computer network, where it can be accessed by customers.
(Click here for larger image of the ring scanner and terminal)
By eliminating the cables that connect the ring scanners to the wearable terminals, UPS expects a 30 percent reduction in equipment and repair costs, as well as a 35 percent reduction in downtime and a 35 percent reduction in the amount of spare equipment needed.
As part of the global deployment, UPS says it will install as many as 12,000 Wi-Fi access points in more than 2,000 facilities. The resulting Wi-Fi network is expected to be one of the largest in the world.
The deployment of the wireless scanning systems will be further boosted by the rollout of the newest hand-held computer to UPS's delivery drivers. The DIAD IV (Delivery Information Acquisition Device), currently in field trials in the United States, is the first handheld computer to include wireless connectivity options for personal (Bluetooth), local (Wi-Fi), and wide-area networks (GPRS or CDMA). The Diad IV is made by Symbol Technologies and runs Windows CE.
Other innovative features include:
- A Global Positioning System (GPS) capability that will give drivers more detailed directions to customer pick-up or delivery points.
- A color screen that accommodates color coding of messages to drivers and displays information in a more attractive fashion for customers.
- An acoustic radio modem to facilitate dial-up access if necessary.
- An optical modem to enable transmission within a UPS center.
When the enterprise-wide deployment is completed in 2007, UPS says it will have streamlined and standardized more than 55,000 ring scanners in 118 countries, integrated a number of UPS scanning applications into one, improved information flow, and decreased the cost of ownership.
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