Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses for delivery drivers, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters. These glasses are intended to shave “several seconds” off each delivery for reasons such as productivity. Sources say these are an extension of the existing Echo Frames smart glasses, known by the internal code Amelia.
This number of seconds can be reduced in several ways. For starters, the glass reportedly has embedded displays to guide delivery drivers around and within the building. It is also said to provide drivers with “turn-by-turn navigation” instructions while driving. Finally, wearing AR glasses eliminates the need for drivers to carry around handheld GPS devices. I know what that means. You will be able to carry more cargo at once. It’s a real mitzvah.
I’m being cynical for good reason, but there may be some real merit here. I used to be a delivery driver, and my biggest time was often spent wandering around maze-like building grounds like a lost puppy. I wouldn’t have minded if there was a device that told me where the elevator was. However, we didn’t want to be forced to wear cumbersome AR glasses to achieve that.
To that end, officials told Reuters the project was not foolproof. Glass could be shelved if it fails to deliver on initial promises or is too expensive to manufacture. Even if things go well, it will be years before Amazon drivers are required to wear glasses. The company has reportedly struggled to include a battery that can withstand an eight-hour shift, and to settle on a design that won’t cause fatigue during use. It’s also important to collect all the building and neighborhood data, which is not an easy task.
Amazon told Reuters it is “continually innovating to create a safer and better delivery experience for our drivers,” but declined to comment on the existence of these AR glasses. “We do not otherwise comment on our product roadmap,” the spokesperson said.
Echo Frames turned out to be a pretty big failure for Amazon. According to the same report, the company has sold just 10,000 units of the third generation glasses since they were launched last year.
