According to multiple informed sources, Amazon is developing smart glasses for its delivery drivers to provide route navigation for goods transportation, thereby improving the delivery efficiency of the "last mile".
Is Amazon developing 'black technology' again?
According to informed sources, the delivery glasses being developed by Amazon are based on Amazon's Echo Frames smart glasses, which allow users to listen to audio and use voice commands from Amazon's virtual assistant Alexa.
Insiders say that if developed successfully, this pair of glasses will provide drivers with turn navigation along the route and at each station on a small embedded screen, offering turn prompts for drivers to "leave the elevator, turn left, turn right, bypass obstacles (gates or aggressive dogs), etc.", saving valuable time during each delivery.
Amazon has millions of packages to deliver every day, and every few seconds saved in the delivery time of a package can accumulate and improve the efficiency of Amazon's business.
In addition to reducing delivery time through navigation, this pair of glasses also allows drivers to carry more packages at once without holding GPS devices.
The project highlights Amazon's efforts to reduce the distribution cost of each package and support the profit margin when dealing with the increasingly fierce competition from Wal Mart. Recently, Wal Mart has increased its e-commerce business and lowered its prices. Wal Mart said it would pay new rewards to independent delivery drivers to encourage them to complete online orders during the holiday.
For many years, Amazon has been committed to developing its internal delivery network, including establishing its own airline, long-distance truck transportation network, and vast suburban warehouses. By doing so, it hopes to speed up delivery and reduce expenses by reducing its reliance on courier companies UPS and FedEx.
In the third quarter of this year, Amazon's shipping costs increased by 8% to reach $23.5 billion.
The Last Mile Challenge
In fact, the 'last mile' issue has always been a significant problem for many logistics companies. Because in the 'last mile' of goods delivery, couriers need to travel between communities, which means more couriers, more fuel, and more time. It is estimated that half of the logistics cost for delivering a product from the logistics starting point to the customer's doorstep comes from the last mile.
Now Amazon is focusing on the "last 100 yards" (91 meters). In October this year, Amazon launched a scanner that will be installed on the ceiling of delivery trucks, guiding drivers to find packages at each stop through green spotlights, thereby saving drivers time reading package labels.
Amazon stated that currently its delivery drivers visit over 100 customers per shift. With improved efficiency, Amazon can require drivers to deliver more packages and reach more households.
When asked about the driver delivery glasses, an Amazon spokesperson said, "We are constantly innovating to create a safer and better delivery experience for drivers. Apart from that, we will not comment on our product roadmap
We will also face technical difficulties
Despite the beautiful idea, the technology for this delivery glasses is still in the development stage. At present, Amazon has encountered difficulties in manufacturing batteries - Amazon needs batteries that can work continuously for eight hours and are lightweight enough to be worn all day without causing fatigue.
In addition, informed sources revealed that to complete the development of the glasses system, complete data on each house, sidewalk, street, curb, and lane needs to be collected, which may take several years.
Amazon may also face other obstacles, including convincing thousands of its drivers to use these glasses. Because these delivery glasses may not be comfortable to wear, and may also be distracting or unsightly. In addition, some drivers who have already worn corrective glasses may find it difficult to wear these delivery glasses again.
It is worth mentioning that the development foundation of this device - Amazon's consumer wearable device Echo frame - has consistently disappointed in sales. According to insiders, the latest generation Echo frame released by Amazon at the end of last year sold less than 10000 units. Although an Amazon spokesperson questioned the sales data, stating that the actual number was higher, no specific details were provided.
Insiders warn that if the development of Amazon's delivery glasses falls short of expectations, or due to financial or other reasons, the project may also be put on hold or indefinitely postponed.