MarenGo was a prototype for sending driverless, remotely piloted cargo carts between base warehouses and aircraft. Kordspace designed the interface for the tablet and browser apps that operators use to load, dispatch and watch each cart.
The challenge
Moving freight across an open runway puts people at risk, especially when an area is under threat. The goal was to let carts do the crossing while operators stay under cover, which meant the controls had to be quick, clear and impossible to misread under pressure.
Our approach
We designed a dispatch flow (pick the cargo, pick the destination, send), a live map showing every cart and its status, and large high-contrast controls usable with gloves and in bright sun. Emergency stop and manual handover were always one tap away, and the tablet layout was planned to keep working on patchy connections. The designs were built into a React prototype for trial runs on the tarmac at an Air Force base near New York City, believed to be Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
The outcome
A working interface prototype used in on-tarmac trial runs, showing how operators could move freight without stepping onto exposed ground. The current status of the program is unknown.
Technical highlights
- Designed for operators working under cover, away from the runway
- One-tap emergency stop and manual handover
- Big touch targets and high contrast for gloves and sunlight
- Shared design across tablet and browser apps
- Used in trial runs on an Air Force base tarmac
Place in the journey
2018–2022 Logistics + AI + BlockchainPart of the 2018–2022 Logistics + AI + Blockchain chapter of Marco Lopes' work (Mar 2021 – Jun 2022).