Beyond robot dogs: an innovative approach to security

Security matters. Supply chains are ever more important for our customers and ensuring the secure storage and transport of their goods is of the utmost importance to us at CEVA Logistics. Customers want us to provide the right solutions at the right price. As such, we need to be bold and take an innovative approach, in order to diversify our security offering and meet customer expectations.

Employing a robot dog could look like a gimmick – the opportunity for some eye-catching headlines and smart social media posts. But Spot the robot dog is just one part of our security innovation – albeit a camera-friendly one. The concept came from our North American contract logistics team, who were keen to trial Spot at the Transload Warehouse in LA.

We were already working with Boston Dynamics on other robots, to enhance the operation of offloading trucks in this location. So Spot’s employment is an interesting example of how we welcome innovation from anywhere within CEVA. While we have a central team that focuses on innovation and brings in changes; this is a regional trial, which, if successful, we’ll look at replicating more widely. And we really need to give huge kudos for this initiative.

Employing a robot dog

So why did we choose to employ a robot dog? Spot does come with some unique advantages.

Spot can work 24/7. He doesn’t get tired or have days off and he can get into much smaller spaces than his human counterparts. Using the sensors, integrated high-res camera and digital monitoring that Spot offers, gives us a more holistic view of site security, as we can integrate the data with the other technology that we use. He’s completely reliable, whatever we ask him to do, he will execute on that programming.

If we’re working with dangerous goods, including toxic or volatile substances – it’s safer to have a robot patrolling the area than a human, as it’s less likely to be affected. It also makes more sense to use a robot if there’s a risk of violent attack by intruders. Our staff will continue to monitor the area but safely, behind a screen. If the robot is stolen, we can track it; if it’s damaged, it can be repaired. Ultimately a robot is replaceable in a way that a human isn’t. Spot has already got two additional members of his robot pack at the Transload’s sister facility in Torrance, California.

That said, we don’t intend Spot to replace our human security guards everywhere. LA is very prone to container theft. With Spot, we’re able to perform additional checks to ensure that container doors are sealed and bolted in laden container areas, giving an extra layer of security to valuable loads.

On the sites themselves, the CEVA team have welcomed Spot. But he’s not the biggest news right now, it’s actually the Stretch robots that are coming to the Transload facility in the coming months that will be the real gamechangers, with their ability to offload and also take real time photographs of the condition of the cargo at each stage of that process.

When it comes to security, it’s important that we find the appropriate solution for each location. In some parts of the world it’s simply not cost-effective to bring in robots. In low-risk areas there’s no real need to have the high level of security that’s on offer from a robot equipped with infra-red cameras and multiple sensors.

Security hardware – robots and sensors

The trial with Spot is just part of a wider strategy. Our central innovation team has drastically changed the way that we’re approaching security technology. We’re bold in our approach, but we remain cautious in terms of delivery. We have to get it right. After all, the rationale for this innovation is to serve our customers better. That includes ensuring that our customers are confident in the security options we’re offering.

There are two main aspects to our innovative work around security: hardware and software.

Hardware covers all the security-related robots that we’re working with – Spot is not the only one. Drones are also going to be a very useful addition for some parts of the company. Think about finished vehicle logistics (FVL) compounds for example, drones could provide excellent coverage here because of the scale of the locations. We’re looking to test this in the coming months.

Biometric access is another security measure that we’ll see across more of our locations. The technology is already available – most of us use biometric security on our phones daily – with facial or fingertip recognition. Biometric identification provides greater security than the traditional lanyard with its card pass, which is easily lost or borrowed. With biometric identification you can ensure that only the right people enter specific areas and we’ll be able to tell who is where, doing what, more easily, improving security for our employees too.

There is still a cost barrier to implementing security sensors more widely as part of the Internet of Things (IoT) but the technology is maturing. Imagine being able to employ security sensors in containers, warehouses, vehicles and so on. In addition to monitoring atmospheric conditions, they could trigger alerts if they detected any issues and provide visual or location information to operators, which would all help protect customers’ products.

Innovative security: software

We have a central approach to cybersecurity across the whole of the CMA CGM Group, of which CEVA is a part. With the increased use of data in every part of our activity, it’s critical that we protect access to our systems. And the way we secure our data will look radically different within the next few years, thanks to the cybersecurity options offered by blockchain technology.

Blockchain is set to solve some of the issues around verification of data sources, so we can readily check whether data is coming from where we expect. It offers a greater level of security than traditional digital technologies, thanks to the way that it stores data across the entire network of devices connected to it. In order to access data, hackers would need to overcome every single device within the blockchain, which would require a level of resource that makes it a pointless operation.

Our data from across the company is the key to the final software use, when it’s combined with AI-informed analysis. We can use the insight it provides to improve our risk management. Predictive analytics will support us to identify which routes or products involve increased risk and work to mitigate that accordingly. It puts us in a position to advise our customers as to what the most appropriate solutions are, to work within their risk appetites. For example, do they want to transit goods via the Red Sea or choose an alternative, which might take longer or involve increased cost.

It’s an exciting time in terms of incorporating new technology into our security activity. But in each case, our approach to security is about finding the right solution for each location, product or customer, rather than taking a blanket approach. Both software and hardware innovations will help us provide additional measures, where they’re needed to optimize performance and reduce costs. While there’s a lot that is new, our mission remains the same: to deliver securely for our customers.