Dive Brief:
- Amazon plans to deploy 5,000 smart delivery glasses for drivers to use this year, with further expansion in 2027, the e-commerce giant announced in October.
- The glasses enable drivers to see navigation and delivery instructions, such as gate codes and preferred drop-off locations, directly in their field of view after they park the delivery van. This allows drivers to focus on carrying the package and navigating their environment, rather than looking at delivery information through a handheld device, according to Amazon.
- "The glasses guide drivers through each step, from confirming the right packages are in the van to surfacing customer delivery preferences on the walk to the delivery location to capturing proof of delivery automatically," per the announcement.
Dive Insight:
The smart glasses add to Amazon's efforts to use technology to boost efficiency within its sprawling logistics network, including more robotics and artificial intelligence for improved forecasting and delivery mapping.
Hundreds of drivers for more than 300 delivery service partners, or businesses under contract to make deliveries for Amazon, have used the glasses since last year, when Amazon initially revealed the technology. The company, which noted the glasses are optional for drivers, aims to deploy more than 20,000 glasses by the end of next year.
Drivers have provided feedback about the glasses to Amazon, resulting in changes such as moving the glasses' computing hardware and battery into a small controller in the delivery vest.
The glasses are also able to flag potential issues during the delivery process. This includes alerting drivers with a paw-print icon and audio alert when data indicates a pet may be present, or providing a warning when a package is left somewhere that doesn't match the address. Delivery reliability is critical for shippers and carriers, as failed deliveries introduce added expenses and damage customer loyalty in the process, according to third-party logistics provider GoBolt.
The rise of smart glasses has spurred security and data privacy concerns, but Amazon said privacy is a priority for its technology. Images captured by the glasses are automatically anonymized, and faces and license plates are blurred, Amazon noted in the announcement. The glasses do not capture video or audio, the company added.
"The blurred images are encrypted, accessible only to a limited number of people who need them to improve the delivery experience and reduce delivery errors, and automatically deleted after a short retention period," Amazon said.
Other companies beyond Amazon are implementing technological innovations within the last-mile delivery process. Several alternative parcel carriers are tapping AI to verify delivery photos and identify cost efficiencies.
