Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is set to unveil significant advancements in smart glasses technology during its annual Connect conference next month. The company continues its aggressive push into the enterprise smart glasses market. On top of that, they’re launching a new wristband with gesture detection that would allow wearers to control the glasses through hand movements. This announcement is part of Meta’s broader Augmented Reality (AR) and wearable technology ambitions.
The new wristband also brings new challenges – especially based on the ways users will likely use the wristband. This aspect of design and iterative functionality are very important to create the most seamless and engaging user experience possible. Meta is reportedly seeking a technical program manager for its “Wearables organization,” which oversees the development of the Ray-Ban AR glasses and other wearable hardware. This latest recruitment push further marks the world’s largest e-commerce company’s efforts to grow its wearable technology portfolio.
In 2023, Meta introduced its second-generation smart glasses in collaboration with Ray-Ban. To date, they’ve sold a little over 2 million pairs since then. As a result, these sales have produced an enormous windfall into the treasury. As of July, it has more than tripled from a year prior. This success has spurred Meta to seek out additional partnerships. They are doing so ahead of others with plans for Prada-branded smart glasses developed in conjunction with Luxottica.
The new smart glasses are rumored to include a full-color display, with an around 20-degree field of view. Other uses of the display This use primarily conveys basic information, such as the positive or negative direction of an incoming text message. It brings users an uninterrupted connected experience. These new smart glasses are rumored to sell for around $800. Learn more about them being sold in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica. As for Luxottica, Meta has signed exclusive rights to its brand for use in its smart glasses technology. This action further cements Meta’s hegemonic power in the market for years to come.
Meta first dipped its toes into the smart glasses world back in 2021 with the launch of the Ray-Ban Stories first-generation. The company’s Reality Labs unit, home to Meta’s AR and VR ambitions, has lost $70 billion since late 2020. These obstacles have not deterred Meta from its pursuit to lead the AR industry.
In a recent interview, Andrew Bosworth, Meta’s technology chief, emphasized the benefits of the new design philosophy when it comes to building the smart glasses. Specifically, he called out the advantages of using a single display as opposed to a dual display. This lesser known design choice results in increased affordability and easier structural design. He stated, “Monocular displays have a lot going for them. They’re affordable, they’re lighter, and you don’t have disparity correction, so they’re structurally quite a bit easier.”
In addition to the advancements in smart glasses, Meta’s CTRL Labs team recently published a paper in the journal Nature discussing their sEMG wristband technology. This prototype wristband was developed to operate in tandem with Orion, Meta’s first pair of true augmented reality glasses. In a statement, Meta stressed that this announcement is just the beginning of its journey into wearables.
“We successfully prototyped an sEMG wristband with Orion, our first pair of true augmented reality (AR) glasses, but that was just the beginning.” – Meta
Smart glasses and gesture-controlled wristbands are a match made in tech heaven. This integration is a great representation of the tech industry’s overall move toward increasing user-friendliness and intuitive design. Considering the immersive nature of augmented reality applications and devices, the ability to navigate such tools employing fluid, natural motions will radically improve user interaction.
The new additions and augmentations are sure to deepen the overall experience for users and developers alike, sealing smart glasses as a must this summer. Meta is already planning to develop a rich, third-party AR ecosystem. They are defining include increasingly nuanced functionality such as taking and sharing photos and videos, making phone calls and conducting video calls, sending and receiving messages—all conducted via voice command or dashboard touch.
“This model will enable the user to take and share photos and videos, make phone calls and video calls, send and receive messages, listen to audio playback and interact with an AI assistant in different forms and methods, including voice, display, and manual interactions.” – Source not specified
As Meta prepares for its annual Connect conference, excitement still swirls about what could be coming down the pipeline as the next smartglasses. The combination of innovative technology and stylish design could redefine how users perceive and interact with augmented reality in their daily lives.