glasses that look normal but use holograms for applications

Meta Connect 2024 had several protagonists and, as expected, Meta AI and the artificial intelligence of WhatsApp and the rest of the Meta applications occupied a good part of the conference. But Meta opened and closed with devices, and the difference between the two is striking; On the one hand, the Meta Quest 3S represent the present of augmented reality, and on the other, the Orion represent the future.

Meta has had great success thanks to its collaboration with Ray-Ban. The Ray-Ban camera glasses resulting from this collaboration are probably the most popular hardware product the company has released in a long time, precisely because they appeal not to the tech-savvy user, but to those who prefer beautiful glasses with features you will actually use, how to record short videos to share on Instagram.

It’s no surprise then that this collaboration is continuing; even though rumors suggested a strong interest from Google, Ray-Ban ultimately chose Meta, and the result is new eyeglass frames, new lens colors and new features which expand the possibilities of the glasses, without overloading the user.

Thanks to the integration with Meta AI, it is now possible to talk to the personal assistant directly with the glasses, with all the possibilities that this implies. The most striking is that we can ask it to save a reminder of what we see; using the front cameras, AI will capture the image to have it as context. For example, if we ask it to remind us to buy this book, it will take a picture, search for it, and remind us later.

THE real time translation This is another of the novelties that can convince us to buy one of these glasses; It works between English, French, Italian and Spanish, and is also able to transcribe the conversation to save it on your mobile.

Other new features that will be well received are compatibility with Spotify to listen to music with the speakers built into the frame, and the ability to scan QR codes simply by looking at them.

But Meta saved the best for last, with Orion, its prototype of augmented reality glasses whose development began last year with a view to a commercial launch. In fact, although at first glance they look like classic glasses, they actually integrate projectors that allow us to see floating objects in our environment, such as streaming videos, video calls with Messenger, indications on where the ingredient we are looking for is, or even play Pong with a friend.

Getting there wasn’t easy. Instead of a built-in display, the glasses use projectors that shine directly into our eyes, forming what the company calls hologramsshapes of light that seem to float before our eyes and create this striking effect.

But achieving a format similar to that of “normal” glasses has also encountered obstacles, to the point that the Orion uses Formula 1 car materials to achieve the lightness and heat dissipation necessary to integrate the “hardware” directly into the frame and without the need for external accessories. With all this, the weight is less than 100 grams.

The Orions are a prototype at the moment, but Zuckerberg has been very clear that they will be a commercial product “in a few years”; it’s clear that the success of the Ray-Ban Meta has pushed the company in that direction.