Forward-looking: Amazon's long-rumored augmented reality smart glasses for its drivers will reportedly arrive next year. Not long after their launch, the retail giant will reportedly release a version for consumers with a slimmer design and more features, including a full-color display in one eye.
Known internally as Jayhawk, Amazon's smart glasses for consumers will also come with built-in microphones, speakers, and a camera, reports The Information. Amazon is using Chinese company Meta-Bonds for the AR technology in the device.
The aim is to release the glasses in late 2026 or early 2027. Before their launch, Amazon plans to make 100,000 units of the glasses designed for its delivery drivers.
Amazon's driver smart glasses, codenamed Amelia, will supposedly boost efficiency in the crucial "last 100 yards" of deliveries. Built on the foundation of the company's Echo Frames – smart glasses equipped with Alexa – the device provides highly accurate navigation both while driving and on foot.
The glasses are reported to function indoors as well, guiding wearers through hallways or prompting them to turn left or right after exiting an elevator. They can even help drivers avoid obstacles such as gates or aggressive dogs. Amazon has been testing the integration of a camera, allowing couriers to capture proof-of-delivery photos more quickly.
Amazon was said to be struggling to make a battery for the drivers' wearable that could last a full eight-hour shift and was still light enough to wear all day without causing fatigue. The company also needs to gather data on each house, sidewalk, street, curb, and driveway.
According to sources, the Amelia glasses could be ready by the second quarter of 2026.
The smart glasses market is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Meta remains ahead of the pack thanks to its Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which blend everyday eyewear design with hands-free photo, video, and AI assistant features. The company also looks set to launch the $1,000+ Hypernova glasses at its Connect conference next week. They're believed to feature a miniature screen in the right-hand lens, optimized for viewing when looking down.
The concept of a mini screen is interesting, but it's not entirely new – Google experimented with it in 2013 with Google Glass. That device used a tiny projector to cast a 640 × 360 image onto a semi-transparent prism above the wearer's right eye. Google ended the consumer version just two years later, in 2015, and eventually shut down the Enterprise Edition in 2023.