Valgus

Inspiration

We are tired of waiting in line at the post offices. That's why we decided to look into their inner workings and try to streamline the package handling process. We were inspired by whack-a-mole, where the visual cues increase the finding speeds.

What it does

We are working on the next generation of intelligent shelves where visual clues are given about the whereabouts of the looked-for parcel. It stores the location of every parcel on its respective shelves, and then the user can query the location of a given package. Then, the location is given to the user via visual clues. Our solution decreases the wait times of customers by up to 70%. We are also significantly cheaper than out-of-the-box solutions, which cost around 120€/shelf-meter, a significant expense considering a post office is around 200 meters of shelves. We are able to equip post offices at a fraction of that cost, coming in at around 2€/metre. Moreover, the current solutions are designed for sorting systems, not finding packages.

How we built it

We use a Vue frontend, python server and wirelessly connect to a microcontroller that lights up visual queues based on user queries. This is done via a custom python API that makes a bridge between the user's device, be it a phone or a desktop, and the microcontroller operating the LEDs. The website is hosted online just for curious minds. The actual server requires the python backend to be running, which has no point in being deployed online since it has to communicate with not online shelves.

Challenges we ran into

From the software side, the main challenge was to communicate over the air with an Arduino reliably. Finding suitable materials for the next-generation shelf management system to be cheap, high-tech and reliable was also a challenge.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We have a working prototype of a next-generation shelf. We effectively built from the ground up a solution which makes the lives of workers easier in less than 48 hours. Our solution could already be tested in post offices. We validate the need for our system, asking right from the source, from Latvia's Post logistics centre.

What we learned

For a POC, less is more. Significant gains can be made through minor automation. Custom wireless chips would make connecting much easier, as the whole connecting process could be custom designed.

What's next for Valgus

We are thinking about designing a custom PCB for our lighting solution to make it more compact. Further cooperation with the Latvian Post will give us more data about the packages (size, weight, ...), enabling us to optimize the shelf placement of incoming parcels.

Fundraising

A more robust system is also to be created so that it can be implemented in the logistics centres. The company's growth is accelerating, and the company will keep on growing in the coming years. The company aims to grow through new product development and also buy out smaller competitors who have less effective solutions than Valgus has.