Amazon’s delivery glasses: The newest innovation designed to enhance the delivery experience – about Amazon

Report on Amazon’s Wearable Technology and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Technological Overview

Amazon has introduced wearable smart glasses for its Delivery Associates (DAs) to enhance operational efficiency and safety. This initiative aligns with several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on worker well-being and technological innovation. The technology is designed to create a hands-free experience for delivery personnel.

• Functionality: The glasses enable DAs to scan packages, receive turn-by-turn walking directions, and capture proof of delivery without using a handheld device.
• Primary Objective: To create a more seamless and safer work environment by reducing the need for DAs to divide their attention between a phone, packages, and their physical surroundings.

Contribution to SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The implementation of smart delivery glasses directly supports SDG 8, particularly Target 8.8, which aims to protect labor rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers.

1. Enhanced Occupational Safety: By providing a hands-free interface, the technology minimizes distractions and allows DAs to maintain better situational awareness, reducing the risk of accidents, trips, and falls.
2. Improved Working Conditions: The system streamlines the physical tasks of the delivery process, reducing the cognitive and physical load on employees and contributing to a more decent and less hazardous work environment.

Contribution to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

This development is a clear example of leveraging innovation to upgrade logistics infrastructure, a core component of SDG 9.

• Technological Advancement: The glasses represent a significant innovation in last-mile delivery logistics, integrating wearable technology to improve process efficiency.
• Sustainable Industrial Process: By making the delivery process more seamless, the technology contributes to a more efficient and sustainable operational model, fostering innovation within the logistics industry.

Contribution to SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The focus on creating a safer experience for DAs directly contributes to SDG 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all.

• Accident Prevention: The hands-free nature of the device is a proactive measure designed to prevent workplace injuries, directly supporting the well-being of employees.
• Ergonomic Benefits: Reducing the need to constantly handle a mobile device can lessen repetitive strain and improve the physical comfort of DAs during their shifts.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • The article connects to SDG 8 by focusing on improving the working conditions for Amazon’s Delivery Associates (DAs). The introduction of smart delivery glasses is explicitly framed as a measure to make the “DA experience even safer,” which directly relates to the goal of providing decent and safe work.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • This goal is addressed through the article’s central theme of technological innovation within the logistics industry. The text highlights the introduction of “smart delivery glasses—wearable technology” as a new system to enhance delivery operations. This represents an investment in innovative technology to upgrade industrial processes.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

1. Target 8.8: Promote safe and secure working environments

   • The article directly aligns with this target. The stated purpose of the smart glasses is to make the delivery experience “even safer.” By creating a “hands-free experience” and “reducing the need to look between the phone, the package, and the surrounding area,” the technology aims to mitigate workplace hazards and create a more secure environment for delivery workers.

2. Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries for sustainability

   • This target is relevant as Amazon is upgrading its delivery process (a form of industrial infrastructure) with new technology. The glasses make the process “more seamless,” implying greater efficiency. While not focused on environmental sustainability, the adoption of advanced technology to improve operational safety and efficiency is a key component of this target.

3. Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research and upgrade technological capabilities

   • The development and introduction of “smart delivery glasses—wearable technology” is a clear example of a company upgrading its technological capabilities and encouraging innovation within its sector. The article describes a specific technological advancement designed to solve operational challenges, which is the essence of this target.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

1. Implied Indicator for Target 8.8: Reduction in Workplace Incidents

   • While the article does not mention a specific metric, it implies that the success of the smart glasses could be measured by a decrease in accidents or safety incidents among Delivery Associates. The text states the technology reduces the need for DAs to divide their attention, which is a common cause of trips, falls, or other accidents. Therefore, a relevant indicator would be the rate of occupational injuries for DAs.

2. Implied Indicator for Targets 9.4 & 9.5: Adoption of Innovative Technology

   • The article itself serves as an announcement of the adoption of a new technology. An indicator for progress towards these targets would be the rate of deployment and use of these “smart delivery glasses” across the company’s delivery network. The existence and implementation of such “wearable technology” is a direct measure of technological upgrading and innovation in the logistics industry.

Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: aboutamazon.com