Meta✴ showed off a prototype of its Orion augmented reality smart glasses, which look less bulky than most other AR headsets. The new product offers holographic display of information on glasses, and also has functions based on artificial intelligence. A consumer version is planned to be released soon.
Image source: Meta✴
According to the company, Orion is “the most advanced augmented reality glasses ever created” and the result of “breakthrough inventions in virtually every area of modern computing.” One of the key features of the device, writes Engadget, was the use of miniature projectors to display holograms on the glasses. Unlike previous AR products such as Magic Leap, Microsoft HoloLens or Google Glass, Orion glasses look much less bulky and do not block the user from the outside world, as happens with VR headsets.
Image source: Meta✴
Meta✴ claims that Orions are lightweight and work both indoors and outdoors. The glasses allow you to create “digital experiences beyond the boundaries of a smartphone screen” by overlaying holographic elements on the real world. Micro LED projectors are used that project images through waveguides onto silicon carbide lenses.
In addition, Meta✴ AI artificial intelligence is integrated into Orion. For example, if you look into your refrigerator while wearing glasses, then based on the products available there, you can ask the AI assistant to create a recipe for a dish. There are also simpler useful functions, such as simultaneous speech translation. The glasses are equipped with a wireless module that processes most of the data and transmits applications and content to the device. The remote control is quite compact, so it will be convenient to carry in your pocket.
Image source: Meta✴
Orion has the largest field of view in the smallest AR glasses to date, says Meta✴. This field of view allows for truly immersive experiences with Orion glasses, from multi-tasking windows and big-screen entertainment to life-size holograms of people. The glasses support eye tracking, so you can control them with just your eyes. Also paired with the glasses is a special bracelet with an EMG sensor, which adds gesture control.
Orion functionality includes the ability to make video calls, view and send messages on Facebook✴ Messenger and WhatsApp. The images provided by Meta✴ also show holographic versions of various apps such as Spotify, YouTube and Pinterest.
Image source: Meta✴
At the moment, Orion is available only to Meta✴ employees and a select audience (testers) to finalize the product before the start of serial production. The company emphasizes that this is not just a research prototype, but one of the most mature product prototypes Meta✴ has ever developed, and it truly represents something that can be released to consumers en masse. At the same time, Meta✴ CEO Mark Zuckerberg notes that one of the goals of further work on the device is to reduce its cost to reach a larger audience.
While the exact release date for the consumer version of Orion has not yet been announced, Meta✴ plans to release its first AR glasses for the mass market quite soon. Previously, a leaked roadmap pointed to 2027 as a possible release date.