Engineers tackling "porch pirate" package pilfering problem

Tens of millions of Americans have had packages stolen from their porches and mailboxes. Now major online retailers are looking at novel ways to deliver packages to car trunks, lockboxes, and even inside locked homes.

Via Consumerist:

Only weeks after Walmart said it would test a grocery delivery service that puts your order right into your fridge, Amazon is reportedly looking to develop its own methods for more securely delivering orders. […] Amazon is also reportedly talking to a company called Phrame, which makes a secure box that fits around a person's license plate, and can hold keys to the car. Users can grant access to others remotely, allowing them to input a code to get the keys out. They can then unlock the trunk and place the packages inside.

The "inside locked homes" option does not sound very appealing, and the car trunk option seems marginal. Both seem rife with problems. I'd wager on some sort of external residential lockbox accessible by driver or drone for small to medium packages.

Amazon to develop a smart doorbell to deliver packages inside your home (via Consumerist)

Image: marc falardeau