GabyCouriers wearing smart glasses are expected to receive step-by-step instructions for an entire route and at each stop. As the company says, the device will guide drivers to buildings and make navigation inside them easier. In the final stage of the journey, the glasses will indicate, for example, whether to bypass an elevator to the left or right and how to get around obstacles like aggressive dogs.
Overall, the glasses’ instructions should help delivery workers save valuable seconds on each drop-off.
The new technology will free drivers from carrying portable GPS devices, allowing them to transport more cargo.
This project is another effort by Amazon to improve driver safety and cut the cost of each delivery.
The final meters decide everything
In developing the technology, the company focused on the “last mile” of delivery — the final stage.
Company managers say the “last mile” is an expensive and complex segment of the journey that requires faster orientation on the ground. Few people realize that this stretch forces companies to hire more couriers and burn more fuel. Experts estimate that up to half the cost of delivering a product to a customer’s door comes from this final stretch.
What else is known about delivery workers’ smart glasses?
Based on Amazon’s Echo Frames, the smart glasses let users listen to audio and control the virtual assistant Alexa with voice commands.
Known internally as Amelia, the delivery glasses will also be able to take photo proof of delivered packages.
According to the company, delivery drivers currently visit more than 100 customers per shift. The Daily Mail reported that the glasses could let drivers carry more packages and reach more households.
The technology is still in development. Amazon has struggled to create a battery that can last a full eight-hour shift while remaining light enough for drivers to wear all day.
Another challenge is that collecting comprehensive data on every building, street, sidewalk, curb, and driveway can take years. Updating and improving that mapping data will also take time.
Amazon may also face other obstacles, including convincing thousands of drivers to wear glasses that could be uncomfortable or unattractive. Some couriers already wear prescription glasses.
However, experts say the majority of Amazon couriers are employees of third-party contractors. That means Amazon could potentially make wearing the glasses a condition of the contract.
