AirTag, You're It: Reverse Logistics and Last Mile Dynamics

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Noever, David, McKee, Forrest
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Noever, David
McKee, Forrest
author_facet Noever, David
McKee, Forrest
contents This study addresses challenges in reverse logistics, a frequently overlooked but essential component of last-mile delivery, particularly in disaster relief scenarios where infrastructure disruptions demand adaptive solutions. While hub-and-spoke logistics networks excel at long-distance scalability, they often fail to optimize closely spaced spokes reliant on distant hubs, introducing inefficiencies in transit times and resource allocation. Using 20 Apple AirTags embedded in packages, this research provides empirical insights into logistical flows, capturing granular spatial and temporal data through Bluetooth LE (BLE) 5 trackers integrated with the Apple Find My network. These trackers demonstrated their value in monitoring dynamic cargo movements, enabling real-time adjustments in mobile hub placement and route optimization, particularly in disaster relief contexts like Hurricane Helene. A novel application of discrete event simulation (DES) further explored the saddle point in hub-spoke configurations, where excessive hub reliance clashes with diminishing spoke interaction demand. By coupling simulation results with empirical AirTag tracking, the study highlights the potential of BLE technology to refine reverse logistics, reduce delays, and improve operational flexibility in both routine and crisis-driven delivery networks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_17447
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle AirTag, You're It: Reverse Logistics and Last Mile Dynamics
Noever, David
McKee, Forrest
Signal Processing
Artificial Intelligence
This study addresses challenges in reverse logistics, a frequently overlooked but essential component of last-mile delivery, particularly in disaster relief scenarios where infrastructure disruptions demand adaptive solutions. While hub-and-spoke logistics networks excel at long-distance scalability, they often fail to optimize closely spaced spokes reliant on distant hubs, introducing inefficiencies in transit times and resource allocation. Using 20 Apple AirTags embedded in packages, this research provides empirical insights into logistical flows, capturing granular spatial and temporal data through Bluetooth LE (BLE) 5 trackers integrated with the Apple Find My network. These trackers demonstrated their value in monitoring dynamic cargo movements, enabling real-time adjustments in mobile hub placement and route optimization, particularly in disaster relief contexts like Hurricane Helene. A novel application of discrete event simulation (DES) further explored the saddle point in hub-spoke configurations, where excessive hub reliance clashes with diminishing spoke interaction demand. By coupling simulation results with empirical AirTag tracking, the study highlights the potential of BLE technology to refine reverse logistics, reduce delays, and improve operational flexibility in both routine and crisis-driven delivery networks.
title AirTag, You're It: Reverse Logistics and Last Mile Dynamics
topic Signal Processing
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.17447