Amazon plans to integrate artificial intelligence into 1,000 of its electric delivery vans by early next year, the company announced recently. The goal is to boost driver productivity through a system called Vision-Assisted Package Retrieval, or VAPR.
VAPR leverages AI to assist drivers in swiftly locating the necessary packages at each delivery stop. Amazon conducted initial trials with contracted delivery partners, and the results suggest substantial time savings. Early testing demonstrated potential savings exceeding 30 minutes per route.
“Emptying a tote and organizing packages in a van for the next stop can typically take between two and five minutes, but that step takes roughly a minute with VAPR,” explained Bobby Garcia, a driver with Amazon delivery contractor Bloomfield Logistics, in the official announcement.
VAPR utilizes computer vision technology, originally developed for Amazon’s fulfillment centers for item identification during the stowing or picking process. This technology can identify and decipher multiple barcodes in real time, eliminating the need for manual scanning. To optimize VAPR for in-van use, Amazon integrated it with route navigation systems, and paired it with automotive light projectors and cameras.
“We had to think about factors that are unique to the delivery experience, such as lighting and space constraints inside vans,” said John Colucci, product manager at Amazon Transportation, in a statement. VAPR will help drivers avoid spending time organizing packages by stop, reading shipping labels, or checking identifiers such as customers’ names or addresses to verify they’re handling the correct packages, according to Amazon.
The technology will project a green “O” on packages designated for delivery at the current stop, while marking the remaining packages with a red “X.” Amazon stated, “Through an audio and visual cue, VAPR will prompt the driver, confirming it has found the right packages before the driver needs to enter the cargo area.”
Amazon isn’t the only company using AI enhance its delivery processes. For example, FedEx utilizes AI to create more precise estimates of package arrival times. UPS’s DeliveryDefense offering relies on AI to identify at-risk shipments and potentially reroute them to alternative locations.
