Glasses, robots… Amazon puts artificial intelligence at the service of deliveries. On October 22, the American giant presented its new technologies to speed them up, including connected glasses for its delivery drivers. Capable of displaying information in your field of vision, they accompany you throughout your journey.
Thanks to them, you can scan a package, follow the step-by-step instructions to leave it at the correct address once outside your vehicle, but also record proof of delivery without having to use a smartphone.
Smart glasses achieve this by using cameras and leveraging “sensing capabilities” based on artificial intelligence and computer vision (allowing machines to analyze image and video data). They are also equipped with a small box built into a delivery vest that includes “operational controls,” Amazon said without elaborating. Also included is a replaceable battery and a button to contact emergency services if necessary.
Speed up deliveries from the warehouse
Even before packages reach delivery drivers, a robotic system will help speed up deliveries at Amazon’s warehouse. Called Blue Jay, it provides an extra pair of hands for employees, saving them from repetitive tasks like putting away items. In fact, it is capable of managing several robotic arms to perform numerous tasks (picking up, storing and consolidating objects) simultaneously.
Tested in one of Amazon’s warehouses in South Carolina, “it is already capable of picking, storing and consolidating approximately 75% of all the different types of items” stored in its facilities, the company said. Not only does Blue Jay make tasks less physically demanding, it also ensures customers receive the right products quickly, he said.
Reduce the cognitive load of operators.
Amazon also plans to help its employees with Project Eluna. It is an agent AI system designed to transform the way distribution centers operate. Presented as an additional teammate, it can process data in real time and then provide natural language information to operational teams. In this way, it will help them make better decisions, according to the company.
The Eluna Project will be able, for example, to recommend actions after analyzing “complex operational situations”, with the aim of allowing managers to spend less time searching for data and more time supervising their teams, reducing their cognitive load.
This agent AI system will soon be tested at a distribution center in Tennessee, to help operators during the holidays by initially working on sorting optimization. For example, you’ll be able to answer questions like “where should we reallocate staff to avoid bottlenecks?” and provide recommendations. Amazon thus hopes to have fewer emergencies to manage, thanks to greater anticipation.
Source: BFM TV
