HESTEGO: SMART PARCEL BOX SOFTWARE

Client overview

Hestego is an engineering company operating in the Czech market since 1995. In addition to custom manufacturing, Hestego develops its own products, such as disinfection stands, information kiosks, terminals, and smart trash bins.

Client’s Request

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Hestego decided to expand its product portfolio by introducing a smart parcel box for households. While Hestego has high-level development and technology capabilities, including software for smart trash bins and integration with disinfection stands, they were hesitant to develop software for smart parcel boxes and turned to us for assistance.

Solution Design and Approach

The smart parcel box accepts parcels from delivery couriers, takes a photo, weighs the parcel, and secures it with a code. The recipient can then pick up the parcel at their convenience.

While the client focused on the physical construction of the box—ensuring it was durable, secure, waterproof, and easy to open—we were responsible for designing and building the technological solution.

The solution we delivered allows for the operation of tens of thousands of boxes, 24/7 operation, remote monitoring and updating, and an easy-to-use interface for end-users. The system also allows integration with delivery services via API.

Innovation in Practice

We began by developing a Proof of Concept (PoC) for the less familiar parts of the project (the box itself). Then, we built a minimal viable product (MVP), followed by refining the final version.

The most challenging part of the project was testing. The system had to be robust enough to withstand damage, but if something did break, we needed the ability to remotely fix it. On-site repairs would have significantly increased the cost of the solution.

Throughout the project, we worked closely with the client as one team. At the outset, we clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and the delivery process, which was based on agile principles. We held weekly meetings, planned work in two-week sprints, and communicated daily via Slack.

Technology Overview

For the Boxie solution, we developed a user-friendly system capable of receiving and dispatching parcels without the need for specific carrier integration. The system had to support the remote management of thousands of devices and the updating of the boxes.

The project involved a wide range of technologies. We developed software that controlled the box hardware, including the mechanical lock, weight sensor, camera, light, and barcode scanner. We also accounted for power outages, initial configuration, and box setup. The box runs on Raspberry Pi, with connectivity via LAN, Wifi, and GSM module. The system is cloud-based, running on AWS, Kubernetes, Kafka, and Google Bucket.