Logistics is big business, and nobody knows that better than Amazon. But like everything else, you eventually run out of ways to increase efficiency. When that happens, you hit a wall but there are ways to stave off the impact. The retail giant is reported to be working on a way to make its deliveries just that much faster.
How? Smart glasses are supposedly the answer, according to a report by Reuters. Delivery drivers will wear these and, in theory, speed up deliveries in the one place where a computer isn’t already involved.
Augmented Amazon
The project’s existence was confirmed by unnamed sources who nonetheless warned that it may never come to fruition. Augmented reality smart glasses have been attempted by Google, Meta, and Microsoft and most of these attempts have fallen flat. Amazon seems to have a legitimate use case but it remains to be seen if the company can complete development.
Most folks already use something like Waze or Google Maps to avoid the worst traffic and plot the most effective route to a destination. Delivery drivers do this more than most but there’s one place where these directions fall down — when the vehicle stops. It’s fine if you stop on a doorstep and the front door is right there. But navigating an apartment building? That takes valuable company time.
Read More: The new Kindle Scribe’s generative AI features will also turn up on older Amazon readers
That situation is what Amazon is reportedly looking to sidestep, by providing its drivers with additional navigation to their destinations. Where to park, which elevators or stairways to tackle, and how to get back to the truck as quickly as possible might shave off anything from a few seconds to a few minutes per delivery. Perhaps the driver can use that saved time to go to the bathroom?
When asked about the rumoured augmented reality glasses, an Amazon spokesperson said, “We are continuously innovating to create an even safer and better delivery experience for drivers. We otherwise don’t comment on our product roadmap.”