It would depend on TL and value of cargo. The CG module alone costs 20-30
KCr/displacement ton not including batteries or other power source, so not
a trivial cost. Putting it inside of a "pallet" or "collar" that fits
under/around the container would work as well, and you could store that
away and conserve your investment for low-cost cargoes.
> My assumption always was that standard cargo containers (and most all
> non-standard ones) contained a grav module, thus anyone capable of pushing
> a button could then maneuver around the container like a huge floating
> balloon. As you would want the containers to be stackable, it would be a
> simple matter to lift them up and into place with a couple of people. My
> presumption too was that large cargo ships that would have a desire to
> stack the containers 3-4 high or so would have robots that did that sort
> of work.
> Where it gets interesting is if the grav module fails. Assuming we don't
> have a few tons of stuff falling from 50 feet in the air, and the darn
> thing just wouldn't turn on, a tech (bot during the 3rd Imperium) would be
> able to troubleshoot it. Worst case, all ships would have portable,
> detachable grav modules that could be slapped on the sides of the
> container so that it can be moved.
>
> Cranes would be a pre-grav module thing, though I could see where they
> might be useful in very large warehouses and in starports. As tech
> increases, they would become increasingly automated, such that at some
> point the warehouse would be a giant robot, with a number of smaller
> robots for reaching those places the giant robot can't. New Era RC would
> have them too, though probably with a couple of humans in the loops to
> make sure nothing goes "squirrely" (being inside an automated warehouse
> that has been taken over by Virus would be a very dangerous place...).Â
> Regency would likely be similar, though perhaps the humans in the loop
> aren't necessarily on site. Within the Terran setting, the degree of
> automation would differ depending upon the world you're on. Kagukans
> would be more likely to trust the machines, Prometheans less likely,
> Terrans somewhere in between.
>
KCr/displacement ton not including batteries or other power source, so not
a trivial cost. Putting it inside of a "pallet" or "collar" that fits
under/around the container would work as well, and you could store that
away and conserve your investment for low-cost cargoes.
> My assumption always was that standard cargo containers (and most all
> non-standard ones) contained a grav module, thus anyone capable of pushing
> a button could then maneuver around the container like a huge floating
> balloon. As you would want the containers to be stackable, it would be a
> simple matter to lift them up and into place with a couple of people. My
> presumption too was that large cargo ships that would have a desire to
> stack the containers 3-4 high or so would have robots that did that sort
> of work.
> Where it gets interesting is if the grav module fails. Assuming we don't
> have a few tons of stuff falling from 50 feet in the air, and the darn
> thing just wouldn't turn on, a tech (bot during the 3rd Imperium) would be
> able to troubleshoot it. Worst case, all ships would have portable,
> detachable grav modules that could be slapped on the sides of the
> container so that it can be moved.
>
> Cranes would be a pre-grav module thing, though I could see where they
> might be useful in very large warehouses and in starports. As tech
> increases, they would become increasingly automated, such that at some
> point the warehouse would be a giant robot, with a number of smaller
> robots for reaching those places the giant robot can't. New Era RC would
> have them too, though probably with a couple of humans in the loops to
> make sure nothing goes "squirrely" (being inside an automated warehouse
> that has been taken over by Virus would be a very dangerous place...).Â
> Regency would likely be similar, though perhaps the humans in the loop
> aren't necessarily on site. Within the Terran setting, the degree of
> automation would differ depending upon the world you're on. Kagukans
> would be more likely to trust the machines, Prometheans less likely,
> Terrans somewhere in between.
>