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Diving overview:
Amazon announced last week that it would install artificial intelligence technology in 1,000 electric delivery vans by early next year to improve driver productivity. Vision-Assisted Package Retrieval (VAPR) uses AI to help drivers quickly find the packages they need at each delivery location. Amazon is piloting the technology with contracted delivery partners and said early tests showed savings of more than 30 minutes per route. Bobby Garcia, a driver for Amazon delivery contractor Bloomfield Logistics, said in a statement that it typically takes two to five minutes to empty a tote and organize it in the van before heading to its next destination. VAPR said it takes about a minute.
Dive Insight:
VAPR uses computer vision, originally developed for Amazon’s fulfillment centers, to identify products during loading or picking operations. This technology can locate and decode multiple barcodes in real time, eliminating the need to manually scan barcodes.
To optimize VAPR for the environment inside the van, Amazon integrated it with a delivery route navigation system and combined it with an on-board light projector and camera.
“We had to consider factors unique to the delivery experience, such as lighting and space constraints inside the van,” Amazon Transportation product manager John Colucci said in the announcement.
According to Amazon, VAPR allows drivers to organize packages by stop, read shipping labels, and check identifying information such as customer names and addresses to ensure the correct package arrives. It will save you the trouble of doing so. Instead, the technology projects a green “O” on every package delivered at that stop and a red “X” on the remaining packages.
“Before the driver needs to enter the cargo area, VAPR provides instructions to the driver through audio and visual cues to confirm that the correct package has been found,” Amazon said.
Amazon is one of several companies leveraging AI to streamline and improve the shipping process. For example, FedEx uses AI to better predict when a package will arrive. UPS’s Delivery Defense service leverages AI to identify at-risk packages and potentially route them to another location.
