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ZDNET Highlights
- Amazon is developing smart delivery glasses.
- They can help identify threats and make packages easier to find.
- Customer delivery should also be improved.
AI-powered smart glasses have been around for a while, with Meta adding several new pairs to its collection at the Meta Connect in September and Samsung teasing its upcoming pair a few weeks ago. However, while the AI smart glasses available on the market have met the needs of the common consumer, the one launched by Amazon has a different purpose: to optimize delivery.
During its “Delivering the Future” event in San Francisco last month, Amazon unveiled its smart delivery glasses, which are designed to help delivery associates deliver packages more safely and efficiently, which in turn improves customer delivery experiences.
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The glasses can scan packages, display turn-by-turn directions, and capture an image of a hands-free delivery, helping drivers stay focused and avoid reaching for their phones. It’s all powered by AI and machine learning.
The glasses use AI-powered sensing, computer vision and a camera to create a “heads-up display” that can display navigation details, hazards and delivery tasks, the release said. As seen in the screenshot above, the in-lens display appears to function similarly to the in-lens display found on the Even Reality smart glasses.
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For example, the glasses automatically fill in delivery information, such as address and package number, within the driver’s field of view as they park safely outside the delivery lot. Smart glasses also enable them to detect packages in trucks, displaying various alerts when a package is identified.
Finally, to get the driver to the destination safely, it takes them to the delivery address with turn-by-turn navigation powered by Amazon’s geospatial technology. If hazards are encountered along the way, the smart glasses will guide the delivery associate accordingly to ensure safe delivery to their destination.
Two cameras located on the front of the glasses also capture a photo of the package delivered to the door, which is usually done using a smartphone.
Glasses can accommodate prescription as well as light-adjusting lenses. Additionally, the glasses feature a small controller worn in the delivery vest for operational control, a swappable battery for all-day use, and a dedicated emergency button.
I got a chance to try out the glasses at the event, and the text on the in-lens display looks exactly as shown in the picture. Then, with the controller in my pocket, I was able to move from page to page, from just viewing the address and customer notes, to the package verification page and, finally, to step-by-step navigation.
They also felt comfortable on the bridge of my nose, although I only wore them for the duration of the five-minute demo. The weight distribution of the battery pack and controller also felt comfortable, possibly because it was resting on a vest, which had perfectly positioned pockets for long periods of wear.
Amazon said in the blog post that the glasses were designed with input from drivers. Hundreds of people tested early versions and provided feedback that influenced the design and comfort of the glasses.
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I spoke with a DA who uses it to complete deliveries in the SF area. He confirmed that they are comfortable and convenient to use, and the battery pack lasts him a whole day.
In the future, the company anticipates the glasses will be able to detect mistakes in real time, alert drivers if they accidentally leave a package at the wrong house or apartment, send notifications when a pet is in the yard, and perform other functions.
The company hasn’t given an exact timeline for when your driver will arrive at your door wearing the smart glasses, or when the rollout will begin.
exposure: The cost of Sabrina Ortiz’s travel to San Francisco, California, for the Delivering the Future program was covered by Amazon, a common industry practice for long-distance trips. The judgments and opinions of ZDNET writers and editors are always independent of the companies we cover.
