Amazon unveiled new technology for its delivery associates (DAs). Drivers were introduced to smart delivery glasses designed to enhance safety and streamline daily tasks. It’s part of Amazon’s last-mile logistics plan, which aims to improve safety and the overall work experience for DAs.
The new smart delivery glasses integrate advanced AI and computer vision into a hands-free wearable. Amazon says the technology promises to make a driver’s journey safer. In addition, the company wants the glasses to make deliveries more intuitive for drivers who transport millions of packages to customers every day.
Smart Glasses For Smart Deliveries
According to Amazon, the technology’s core function is a heads-up display that centralizes necessary information directly into the user’s field of view. As a result, it removes the need to look down at a handheld device. Amazon says the device automatically activates once the driver parks at its delivery destination and immediately displays package locations in the vehicle. In addition, the glasses provide turn-by-turn walking directions, using Amazon’s geospatial technology, to the exact doorstep.
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Notably, the technology is also designed to identify hazards and help navigate complex environments, like large apartment buildings with dozens of floors and hundreds of doorways.
Amazon says that driver input was a major focus during the development process. The company says the wearable system was “designed and optimized with input from hundreds of DAs.” Driver input resulted in key elements, including comfort and display clarity.
“I felt safer the whole time because the glasses have the info right in my field of view,” said Kaleb M., a DA working for Maddox Logistics Corporation in Omaha, Nebraska, who tested the technology. “Instead of having to look down at a phone, you can keep your eyes forward and look past the display—you’re always focused on what’s ahead.”
Additionally, the glasses handle scanning packages and capturing proof of delivery.
The system is powered by a small controller worn in the delivery vest and features a swappable battery. Additionally, it features an emergency button for immediate access to emergency services.
