Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses for delivery drivers to further maximize their efficiency. The glasses, first reported on by Reuters, wo

Amazon Is Reportedly Developing Smart Glasses for Delivery Drivers

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2024-11-14 14:00:05

Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses for delivery drivers to further maximize their efficiency. The glasses, first reported on by Reuters, would be based on the existing Echo Show glasses that feature Alexa built-in.

The glasses for delivery drivers would expand upon the audio-only Echo Show by including a small embedded display that could give drivers turn-by-turn directions as they’re locating a home or apartment. Amazon is also reportedly looking into embedding a camera so drivers can take a picture as proof of delivery. Or perhaps it would allow the company to see when a driver is slacking off by looking at their phone, and alert their manager for reprimanding.

It’s not crazy to think Amazon would go to such lengths to squeeze efficiency out of drivers. Last-mile delivery is a huge expense, and retail traditionally has incredibly thin margins. Consider that Amazon Web Services accounts for only 16% of the company’s revenue but 70% of its income. Amazon looks for anywhere it can squeeze costs out of its e-commerce business—it invested more than $1 billion into Rivian to develop electric delivery vans, which are expected to cost less to operate than those that run on gasoline.

According to Reuters’ story, the glasses for delivery drivers are part of Amazon’s efforts to increase efficiency in the last 100 yards of a delivery. Theoretically, giving drivers a heads-up display that shows where they need to walk could allow them to hold more packages at one time, since glasses are, of course, hands-free. They’ll probably want to make sure to take the glasses off while they are urinating in bottles so they don’t get in trouble.

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