2024-11-11 18:49:10| Engadget
Amazon is reportedly developing smart glasses for its delivery drivers, according to sources who spoke to Reuters. These glasses are intended to cut seconds from each delivery because, well, productivity or whatever. Sources say that they are an extension of the pre-existing Echo Frames smart glasses and are known by the internal code Amelia.
These seconds will be shaved off in a couple of ways. First of all, the glasses reportedly include an embedded display to guide delivery drivers around and within buildings. They will allegedly also provide drivers with turn-by-turn navigation instructions while driving. Finally, wearing AR glasses means that drivers wont have to carry a handheld GPS device. You know what that means. Theyll be able to carry more packages at once. Its a real mitzvah.
Im being snarky, and for good reason, but there could be some actual benefit here. Ive been a delivery driver before and often the biggest time-sink is wandering around labyrinthine building complexes like a lost puppy. I wouldnt have minded a device that told me where the elevator was. However, I would not have liked being forced to wear cumbersome AR glasses to make that happen.
To that end, the sources tell Reuters that this project is not an absolute certainty. The glasses could be shelved if they dont live up to the initial promise or if theyre too expensive to manufacture. Even if things go smoothly, itll likely be years before Amazon drivers are mandated to wear the glasses. The company is reportedly having trouble integrating a battery that can last a full eight-hour shift and settling on a design that doesnt cause fatigue during use. Theres also the matter of collecting all of that building and neighborhood data, which is no small feat.
Amazon told Reuters that it is continuously innovating to create an even safer and better delivery experience for drivers but refused to comment on the existence of these AR glasses. "We otherwise dont comment on our product roadmap, a spokesperson said.
The Echo Frames have turned out to be a pretty big misfire for Amazon. The same report indicates that the company has sold only 10,000 units since the third-gen glasses came out last year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/amazon-reportedly-wants-drivers-to-wear-ar-glasses-for-improved-efficiency-until-robots-can-take-over-174910167.html?src=rss
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