Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses for its delivery drivers, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. These glasses are designed to shave “seconds” off each delivery because, well, productivity or whatever. Sources say that they are an extension of the already existing Echo Frames smart glasses and are known internally as Amelia.
These seconds will be reduced in several ways. First of all, the glasses will reportedly have a built-in display to help delivery drivers navigate the terrain and inside buildings. They will also allegedly provide drivers with “turn-by-turn navigation” instructions while driving. Finally, wearing augmented reality glasses means that drivers won’t have to carry a handheld GPS device. You know what that means. They will be able to carry more packages at a time.
However, this project is not an absolute certainty. The glasses could be shelved if they don’t live up to their initial promise or if they prove too expensive to produce. Even if everything goes smoothly, it will likely be years before Amazon drivers are required to wear these glasses. The company is reportedly having trouble integrating a battery that can withstand a full eight-hour shift, as well as a design that doesn’t cause fatigue while using the glasses. There is also the issue of collecting all this data about buildings and neighborhoods, which is no small feat.
Amazon told Reuters that it is “constantly innovating to create an even safer and better delivery experience for drivers,” but declined to comment on the existence of these augmented reality glasses. “Otherwise, we don’t comment on our product roadmap,” a company spokesperson said.
Echo Frames turned out to be a rather big failure for Amazon. The same report states that the company has sold only 10,000 units since the release of the third-generation glasses last year.
