Amazon revealed plans on Wednesday to introduce new AI-powered package retrieval technology to its fleet of electric vehicles. This vision-based system, called Vision-Assisted Package Retrieval (VAPR), is designed to help drivers prioritize deliveries more efficiently.
VAPR highlights packages with either a green circle or red light, indicating which ones are scheduled for delivery at the current stop. According to Amazon, this technology will save drivers time by eliminating the need to manually sort through packages at every stop.
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In addition to visual cues, the system provides an audio alert to confirm whether the driver has selected the correct packages. Amazon says this will reduce reliance on the handheld devices currently used by most delivery drivers.
The VAPR system has been in development since early 2020. “We had to account for factors unique to delivery, such as lighting conditions and space constraints inside the vans,” explained John Colucci, Amazon’s product manager, in a statement.
The technology is expected to be deployed on 1,000 of Amazon’s electric Rivian vans by early 2025. It has already been quietly tested in markets like Boston, where it has reportedly reduced the time spent at each stop from two to five minutes down to under a minute.
