Amazon announced on Wednesday the launch of Vision-Assisted Package Retrieval (VAPR), an AI-powered technology designed to streamline package deliveries for its electric vehicle fleet. The new system, which integrates vision-based technology, aims to assist drivers by highlighting which packages should be delivered at each stop. Packages are marked either with a green circle or a red light to indicate their delivery priority.
The VAPR system, scheduled to be deployed on 1,000 Rivian electric vans by early 2025, helps drivers avoid manually searching for packages. Amazon claims that this will reduce delivery time by eliminating the need to stop and reorganize the vehicle during each delivery. In addition to visual cues, drivers will hear an audio alert confirming that they have chosen the correct package for the stop.
John Colucci, product manager at Amazon, said that the company has been developing the system since 2020. He explained that the team had to account for various delivery-specific factors, such as the lighting and space limitations within the vans.
Amazon has been quietly testing the VAPR technology in select markets, including Boston. According to the company, drivers using the system have reduced the time spent at each stop from two to five minutes to under a minute.
