E-commerce giant Amazon (AMZN) is developing specialty smart glasses that will guide its drivers and lead to faster delivery times of packages.
The company says the glasses will help guide its army of delivery drivers to and within buildings, shaving time off deliveries and leading to efficiency gains.
The eyeglasses, which are still in development, will provide drivers with turn-by-turn navigation on a small, embedded screen.
According to a report by the Reuters news agency, the directions provided on the glasses could shave valuable seconds off each delivery by providing left and right directions off elevators and around obstacles such as gates.
The glasses could also take photos of delivered packages as proof for customers.
Known internally under the project code name “Amelia,” the glasses are also expected to free drivers from using handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, allowing them to carry more packages and move faster.
The smart glasses come as Amazon races to reduce delivery costs per package and boost its profit margins as it fends off increased competition from Walmart (WMT) and other retailers.
Amazon's shipping costs rose 8% in this year’s third quarter to $23.5 billion U.S.
The company has developed a sprawling delivery network that includes its own airline, long-haul trucking, and warehouses for storing and sorting items.
Amazon is also trying to reduce its reliance on couriers such as UPS (UPS) and FedEx (FDX), both in the U.S. and abroad.
While cutting edge, Amazon's new smart glasses could be canceled if they do not work as expected or for financial reasons, people familiar with the project told Reuters.
The stock of Amazon has increased nearly 40% this year and currently trades at $208.18 U.S. per share.
