Amazon unveils artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses for delivery drivers

Amazon announced Wednesday that it is developing artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses for delivery drivers. The idea behind the glasses is to give delivery drivers a hands-free experience that reduces the need to keep looking between their phone, the packages they are delivering, and their surroundings.

The e-commerce giant says the glasses will allow delivery drivers to scan packages, follow turn-by-turn walking directions, and capture proof of delivery, all without using their phones. The glasses use AI-powered sensing capabilities and computer vision combined with cameras to create a display that includes things like hazards and delivery tasks.

Amazon likely hopes the new glasses will save time on each delivery by providing delivery drivers with detailed directions and information about hazards directly in their line of sight.

When a driver parks the car at a delivery location, Amazon says the glasses are automatically activated. The glasses help the driver locate the package inside the car and then move to the delivery address. Glasses can provide easy-to-follow directions in places such as multi-unit apartment complexes and business locations.

The glasses are paired with a control unit worn in the delivery vest that contains operational controls, an interchangeable battery and a dedicated emergency button.

Amazon notes that the glasses also support prescription lenses and transitional lenses that automatically adapt to light.

The retailer is currently trialling the glasses with delivery drivers in North America and plans to improve the technology before rolling it out more widely.

This announcement does not come as a surprise, as Reuters reported last year that Amazon was working on smart glasses.

In the future, Amazon says the glasses will be able to provide drivers with “real-time anomaly detection” that could notify them if they accidentally drop a package at the wrong address. The glasses will also be able to detect pets in yards and automatically adapt to hazards such as low-light conditions.

Also on Wednesday, Amazon unveiled a new robotic arm called Blue Jay that can work alongside warehouse employees to pick items from shelves and sort them. Additionally, the tech giant announced a new AI tool called Eluna that will help provide operational insights into Amazon warehouses.