Amazon.com Inc. is considering equipping its contract delivery drivers with augmented-reality glasses that would help them find the right spot to drop a package.
The world’s largest online retailer on Wednesday said it was conducting trials of the glasses with drivers in North America and planned to further refine the technology before any broader rollout.
The device, which is equipped with cameras, are designed to activate after a driver parks and guide them with turn-by-turn walking directions to the customer’s doorstep. Finding a porch can be easy in the suburbs, but drivers sometimes lose their way in multi-unit building complexes or businesses with counterintuitive entrances. Drivers currently use a smartphone app to help them.
The “smart delivery glasses” are paired with a controller designed to be worn in drivers’ vests.
Amazon hopes future versions will be able to detect a dropped package, notice a dog in a yard or point out when a house number doesn’t appear to correspond to a package’s delivery address.
The company made the announcement at a press conference at a warehouse south of San Francisco, where executives also showed off a new system of robotic, package-handling arms called Blue Jay, as well as an artificial intelligence-powered tool called Eluna designed to help warehouse managers troubleshoot problems.
Written by: Matt Day @Bloomberg
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