Amazon is accelerating its adoption of new logistics technologies, both inside warehouses and in last-mile deliveries. In the latter case, the company is trialling Amelia augmented reality smart glasses, equipped with artificial intelligence and computer vision, for courier drivers. A pilot programme involving several hundred drivers is already under way in North America. The glasses feature two micro-cameras — one in the centre and one on the temple — and support prescription and photochromic lenses. They are connected to a control device attached to the driver’s vest, which also houses interchangeable batteries providing power for a full working day. The vest includes buttons for taking photographs and for triggering an emergency signal.
Drivers can see their surroundings through transparent lenses, which also incorporate a display overlaying information or images onto the real-world view. The glasses automatically activate once the van is parked and deactivate when the vehicle is moving, in order to prevent distractions. So, what are the Amelia glasses used for? When the van stops and the glasses activate, they scan parcel barcodes and highlight in green those to be delivered at that specific stop, while a verbal checklist appears and updates after each delivery.
As the driver walks towards the delivery point, the glasses display step-by-step navigation as if projected on the ground, even inside buildings, avoiding known obstacles such as locked gates. Upon reaching the recipient’s door, the glasses prompt the driver to press the button on the vest to take a photo, providing proof of delivery. According to Amazon, this technology delivers at least thirty minutes of efficiency gains per eight-to-ten-hour shift by reducing cognitive load and repetitive tasks. The company is already working on further developments, including real-time defect detection to alert drivers if they are delivering to the wrong address, advanced hazard recognition, and automatic lens adjustment.
Amazon is also intensively introducing new technologies in its warehouses, deploying cobots and robots — a process already at an advanced stage that could soon accelerate. A New York Times article published on 22 October 2025 revealed an internal Amazon document suggesting the company aims to automate 75% of its operational processes, with the goal of flattening its hiring curve over the next decade. The report indicates that this would prevent the need to hire up to 600,000 workers by 2033, with an interim target of 160,000 between 2025 and 2027. Economically, this would cut the cost of each shipment (picking, packing and delivery) by 30 cents, translating into an estimated US$12.6 billion reduction in labour costs between 2025 and 2027.
One site where this model is reportedly in use is Shreveport, Louisiana, where the human workforce is 25% smaller than that of a non-automated facility of similar size and performance. According to the New York Times, the workforce there could eventually be halved. Following the article’s publication, Amazon issued a statement through spokesperson Kelly Nantel, calling the report “incomplete and misleading”, explaining that the cited document represented only one team’s outlook, not the company’s overall hiring strategy. Amazon also confirmed plans to recruit 250,000 people for the upcoming Christmas season.
