Savi, E.J. Brooks, RAE introduce container sensor system
Savi Technology, E.J. Brooks Co. and RAE Systems, three providers of supply chain security and asset management systems, said Wednesday they have codeveloped an interconnected sensor system that enables a cargo container to automatically detect and report intrusions as well as interior environmental changes, such as radioactivity and temperature.
A ‘smart” container, displayed by the three companies at the U.S. Maritime Security Conference in New York, was equipped with a Brooks door sensor seal, a RAE Systems radioactivity sensor, and a Savi two-way network communication transponder.
The ‘smart’ container broadcast to a software network its identity, location and contents, as well as exterior and interior conditions.
“This working model can be reconfigured and retrofitted onto existing containers right now,” said Blair LaCorte, executive vice president of business development for Savi. The cost would depend on the frequency and duration of use, as well as configuration, but could range “from less than a dollar to up to $15 on a per-trip basis” during the life of a container, Savi said in a statement.
Each three-detectors-in-one unit fits within container doors without any drilling of holes, and has a battery life of 10 years, reporters were told at the demonstration.