FedEx uses Bluetooth tags to ensure vaccine cold chain safety

Bluetooth-enabled sensors are used in large-scale logistics operations to track trucks and planes carrying COVID-19 vaccines.

In the United States, FedEx and UPS are taking the lead in delivering vaccines.

FedEx announced that it will use its patented SenseAware ID, a Bluetooth low energy sensor, which is attached to vaccine shipments. Agents can track the location of each shipment in near real-time.

Weighing just 7 ounces, the sensor can also detect GPS as well as changes in temperature, humidity, pressure, shock and light. If a package with the sensor passes through a geofence, an alert can be sent. The package location is transmitted via Bluetooth every two seconds to a Wi-Fi access point or FedEx Express network gateway.

FedEx SenseAware ID

The technology is complemented by the FedEx Surround platform, which relies on AI and predictive tools to monitor conditions around packages so that agents can intervene if weather or traffic delays arise in vaccine shipments.

This type of technology is a real-world example of sensor applications used in recent years to track or communicate conditions.

More and more companies are looking for ways to add intelligence to sensors, giving them local processing capabilities. With AI, smart sensors can decide whether to store data locally for analysis or transmit it over a fast network for analysis and action.

For many emerging applications, including autonomous driving, the challenge will be whether decisions can be made instantaneously, especially when today’s C-V2X solutions cannot accommodate all data transmissions.

Edge processing can help prevent large amounts of data from traveling across the network. In one physical security example from Intel, a chipset is being developed that relies on high-definition cameras that can sense motion in parking lots. The chip can be programmed to forward video frames only when a person walks between cars, eliminating the need to move all the data to the cloud for analysis.

However, how self-driving cars or smart city applications use large amounts of data will be a major issue. "Street lights may communicate with vehicles, and there will be a lot of data in the future," said Jack Gold, principal analyst at J. Gold Associates. "How to get meaningful insights from big data in a timely manner."

Gold predicts "huge growth" in edge applications as fast 5G networks with 10-millisecond latency become available. With cheap processing power, it will be easy to put small edge computing devices inside industrial equipment or even inside cell sites, he said.