Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled the Meta Orion AR glasses. Although still a prototype, these holographic Augmented Reality (AR) glasses offer multi-sensory controls.
Meta’s AR glasses offer holographic overlay
At the Meta Connect 2024, Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Meta’s holographic AR glasses prototype. Codenamed Orion, the AR glasses are still a work in progress. However, the prototype Mark demoed was reportedly fully functional.
The Meta Orion AR glasses are the culmination of over a decade’s work, announced the Meta CEO. As the brief demo video indicates, these AR glasses appear thick. However, they weigh less than 100 grams.
Meta’s latest AR tech offers a virtual overlay to augment what wearers will see in the real world. These glasses can highlight objects, let users video chat with another person’s life-like persona, and give wearers access to web browsing and video streaming.
Meta announced Orion: “the world’s most advanced AR glasses ever made”
> Meta AI and Orion are multimodal and can understand everything you see
> Comes with eye, hand, and neural tracking
> Video calls turn friends into lifelike avatars next to you— Rowan Cheung (@rowancheung) September 25, 2024
Mark has cautioned that the design of the Meta Orion AR glasses isn’t yet finalized. Interestingly, he implied the aesthetics, and not the inner hardware, “aren’t as fashionable”.
The Orion AR glasses benefit from Meta’s Artificial Intelligence LLM. Both the Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) and the glasses are multimodal. In other words, they can see and understand whatever the wearer is looking at.
Meta Orion AR glasses specifications and features
According to multiple social media posts, Meta’s new AR glasses feature “waveguide” displays. In its current iteration, these glasses have a 70-degree FoV (Field of View).
The frame of the AR glasses is made from a Magnesium alloy for better weight and thermal distribution. The stems of the glasses have molded batteries, speakers, and multiple sensors.
Meta Connect 2024: Quest 3S, Llama 3.2, Orion & More https://t.co/YBmgVYbGjSpic.twitter.com/FKhSDCQt6G
— Reality Labs at Meta (@RealityLabs) September 25, 2024
The Meta Orion AR glasses reportedly have seven cameras. Coupled with Meta AI, these glasses can accept commands in multiple ways. Wearers can rely on gesture navigation using their eyes and hands. Alternatively, they can use their voice.
Mark indicated the company’s latest gadget also had a neural interface. Specifically speaking, there’s a wristband that can detect the wearer’s hand swipes and movements.
Meta intends to optimize the hardware, make the form factor smaller, and enhance the sharpness of the visuals. Interestingly, the social media giant also indicated it is working on making the glasses more affordable, presumably while working with Ray-Ban.