Intelligent containers and sensor networks Approaches to apply autonomous cooperation on systems with limited resources

RFIDs, sensor networks and low-power microcontrollers are increasingly applied in logistics. They are characterized by restrictions on calculation power, communication range and battery lifetime. In this article we consider how these new technologies can be utilized for autonomous cooperation and how these processes could be realized on systems with limited resources. Besides tracing of the current freight location by RFID technologies, the monitoring of quality changes that occur during transport is of growing importance. The demand for improved and comprehensive supervision of goods could be best fulfilled by distributed autonomous systems.