For nearly a decade, drones have been transforming the commercial real estate industry, finding roles in everything from site assessments and security monitoring to immersive video tours. Yet one of the most tantalizing promises remains largely unfulfilled: the seamless delivery of goods by drone, closing the elusive “last mile” and bringing packages directly to recipients’ doors.
But what happens when the recipient isn’t home, whether at a house, apartment complex, office, or medical facility? The logistical challenges mount quickly. Does the drone hover uncertainly, waiting for someone to answer the door? Could it attempt to navigate a building’s hallways in search of a signature? Or does it simply leave the package at reception, risking theft or misdelivery? The threat is real: according to Security.org, U.S. “porch pirates” stole an estimated $1 billion in goods every month in 2024.
Arrive AI, an Indianapolis-based company, believes it has found a solution to these last-mile headaches. Rather than building the drones or robots themselves, Arrive AI has focused on the often-overlooked endpoint: the delivery mailbox. “The mailbox hasn’t been disrupted since 1858,” CEO Dan O’Toole told GlobeSt.com. “We’re not the drone, we’re not the robot, we’re not the unmanned, driverless vehicle. We’re that little piece of real estate where every delivery will start and end. And we’re using AI to leverage scheduling, efficiency, routing, marketplace, or prioritization to make sure things go to the right place.”
Arrive AI’s answer is a secure, AI-powered mailbox—what they call an “Arrive Point”—designed to accept packages from drones, robots, or human couriers and keep them safe until the rightful recipient retrieves them. The company’s autonomous last-mile (ALM) platform integrates with smart home devices, such as doorbells, lighting, and security systems, to streamline the entire delivery experience. According to The Robot Report, the platform provides real-time tracking, smart logistics alerts, and advanced chain-of-custody controls, aiming to make the exchange of goods between people, robots, and drones frictionless and convenient.
The technology behind Arrive Points addresses several key hurdles. The mailbox is anchored in concrete to deter theft, features climate-controlled storage to protect temperature-sensitive goods, and utilizes secure access codes, ensuring only the intended recipient can retrieve a package, much like Amazon’s delivery lockers in grocery stores. The system can signal to delivery devices when it’s ready to receive a package, then move it into secure storage until pickup.
Arrive AI’s intellectual property portfolio is a major asset. O’Toole filed the first patent for an AI-powered mailbox in 2014, beating Amazon to the patent office by just days, according to the company’s crowdfunding campaign page. “We’ve got very broad, very general claims, which are great when you have a patent, because it gives you a lot of protection,” O’Toole noted. The company now holds eight patents, with several more pending in 22 countries, and has raised nearly $40 million to date, primarily through crowdsourcing.
But technology alone isn’t enough. Arrive AI must also forge partnerships with delivery device manufacturers and property owners to ensure its system is compatible with a wide range of autonomous and human couriers. As O’Toole explained, “One component can help establish standards but not impose them.”
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