Amazon reveals AI-powered smart glasses for delivery drivers as tech giant expands Down Under presence

Australian delivery drivers could soon start using smart glasses that map out directions and package movements using AI-powered vision as tech giant Amazon unveils an ambitious future vision of its home delivery network. Smart delivery glasses, designed to be worn by Amazon delivery associates, were debuted at the company’s Delivering the Future event in Milpitas, California. While the event is primarily US-focused, it offers a blueprint for what Amazon customers Down Under can expect in the midterm future as it prepares a timeline for a global rollout of the new technology. Last year, Amazon recorded more than 40 million items in Australia delivered on the same or next day, marking a 40 per cent year-on-year increase. But that number pales compared with the company’s astonishing speed in rolling out 10-minute deliveries in India – faster than some Uber waiting times – through its Amazon Now program. In the United Arab Emirates, customers can access goods within 13 minutes. While Amazon has not been able to foreshadow if a definitive service time like this will be rolled out in Australia, the company has not ruled out the possibility of using it as a “test bed”. “I think what we’re trying to do is look at what customers in Australia want and need and how we can make their lives better,” Amazon’s vice president of delivery experience Sarah Mathew told NewsWire at the company’s Delivering the Future event. At Amazon's Delivering the Future event in the US, NewsWire put the company's prototype smart delivery glasses to the test. “Obviously, you’re not going to get 10-minute delivery everywhere, but it gives me a sense of what the different expectations are based on geography ... whether it’s a single press of a button that can throw something else in an order. “Speed is limited by the laws of nature and physics, but convenience can mean anything and means different things to different people.” Ms Mathew said the company had “doubled down” on its commitment to the Australian market with $200m invested into two new purpose-built sites. She also dispelled the idea that Amazon might pose a threat to brick-and-mortar retailers, noting most commerce was still being done in physical stores. She pointed out most people did not have the time to head to the store for other necessities and wanted to “make life easier” for such people or for others who could not leave their house. In the US, Amazon is already rolling out new smart delivery technology allowing drivers to make faster, safer and more efficient deliveries without relying on their phones. The future of Australian delivery – worn on your face Amazon’s smart delivery glasses were debuted at the tech giant’s Delivering the Future event at their DUR3 Delivery Station outside San Francisco City on Wednesday. They are being trialled in the US and refined before a wider rollout – then eventually a global rollout, including in Australia. Using AI-powered sensing and computer vision, the glasses allow associates to scan packages, follow turn-by-turn walking directions and capture and record proof of delivery without using a phone. The device also contains cameras to create a heads-up display, showing navigation details, hazards to delivery tasks and information when drivers pull up to their location. There, the glasses activate and display the information to the associate’s field of view, starting with locating the right package in the vehicle and the navigation to the home using geospatial technology from Amazon. Each pair of glasses features a small controller worn in the delivery vest, containing operational controls, a swappable battery and a dedicated emergency button connecting to emergency services along their routes. Some, like Kaleb M – a delivery associate working for Maddox Logistics Corp in Omaha, NE – have already tested the technology. “I felt a lot safer the whole time because the glasses have the info right in my field of view,” he said. “Instead of having to look down at a phone, you can keep your eyes forward and look past the display – you’re always focused on what’s ahead.“ While there is no definitive timeline of when the technology will be rolled out in Australia, Amazon earlier this year revealed an expansion to its same-day delivery network Down Under. The service is available in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane. • NewsWire’s accommodation and travel in San Francisco were provided by Amazon.