Meta's Orion AR Glasses: A Glimpse into the Future of Computing

Preview: Meta's Orion AR Glasses

This is really cool tech, and seemingly far ahead of anything else in development. Meta's recent Connect event was packed with announcements -- a new VR headset, new AI tools, and updates to their smart glasses -- but it led up to a product they won't even be selling: Orion. That, to my understanding, was not the plan. Zuckerberg had hoped the first generation of these glasses would launch at this event, after a decade of development, but production difficulties meant they weren't possible to scale, and certainly not at an acceptable price. But they're just too cool not to show off, and I would expect a consumer version to be announced at Connect 2026. From my understanding, they are far ahead of anything being developed by competitors. So, what are they? They are a pair of smart glasses, but unlike their Ray-Ban collaboration, Meta Stories, these have displays and a far more complex computing system. Orion is the utopian halfway point between their screenless Meta Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses and their Quest VR headsets. They are the size of glasses and only weigh 98 grams, but digital information is projected onto their lenses, letting you see video content, messages, and other information floating in the air around you. To be clear, you're not looking at a screen. "Mixed reality" modes have been on VR headsets for a while, where the headset records the world outside and plays a live feed to internal screens with added digital elements. Orion does the opposite. You are looking through glass lenses, as with traditional glasses, but tiny projectors around the rim of the lenses project digital elements into your field of vision. This is really cool tech, and seemingly far ahead of anything else in development. It is hard to know for sure -- after all, Meta is showcasing a prototype they can't sell, and most tech companies don't do that -- but the consensus is that this is ahead of anything else being worked on. Then, there's how you interact with them. On the Meta Stories, you can press a button or use voice commands, but for Orion, that's not enough. You need to move objects, click on windows, zoom in, and perform all the usual functions you'd want from a desktop display, but without a keyboard or mouse. While Orion does have voice and hand-gesture control, similar to a VR headset, it also comes with a neural interface in the form of a strap worn around your wrist. To clarify, this doesn't mean it can read your mind. Instead, it picks up nerve signals that command muscle movements -- for example, swiping or clicking motions -- allowing it to recognize even very small gestures. This intuitive solution could easily become the standard if the sensors are eventually miniaturized to fit into something like an Oura Ring. Another intuitive decision is offloading most of the computational work to a puck that fits in your pocket. I'm somewhat surprised they haven't outsourced it to your phone, but there is likely a technical reason. Once again, though, these aren't consumer products. Meta has built about 1,000 development units. Before going to market, Meta will need to make them lighter, cheaper, and increase battery life, which currently sits at around two hours. That's impressive for something this complex, but if it's to be a smartphone replacement, it would need all-day usability. Even in its current form, however, Orion is the closest anyone has come to developing the next generation of computing, and I'm excited to try one of their demo units soon.

10k Meta Orion Augmented Reality (AR) Glasses Hands On

Meta's Orion augmented reality (AR) glasses feature advanced optical display systems and neural input interfaces that push the boundaries of what's possible in AR. While the current prototypes come with a hefty $10,000 production cost per unit, they are not intended for consumer release. Instead, they serve as a platform for Meta's internal development and exploration of future AR capabilities, with the ultimate goal of replacing smartphones by offering a wide field of view and intuitive control mechanisms in a socially acceptable form factor. The Orion glasses are the culmination of Meta's years of research and substantial investment in AR technology. With only 1,000 units produced for internal use, each costing around $10,000, these prototypes underscore Meta's commitment to pushing the envelope in AR development. The limited production allows Meta to focus on refining and optimizing the technology before considering consumer applications. At the heart of the Orion glasses are two key technological innovations: the optical display system and the neural input system. The optical display system uses advanced waveguides and microLED projectors to display holograms with exceptional brightness and clarity. The waveguides, crafted from silicon carbide, boast a high refractive index and durability, resulting in a vivid and immersive visual experience for the user. The neural input system is equally impressive, featuring: These technologies work in harmony to enable subtle and unobtrusive control gestures, making user interaction with the AR environment seamless and intuitive. Weighing in at just 98 grams, the Orion glasses strive to provide a wide field of view in a glasses-like form factor that is both functional and comfortable to wear. The magnesium frame offers rigidity and effective thermal management, while custom silicon components minimize power consumption and maximize battery life. This thoughtful design ensures that users can enjoy the AR experience without compromising on comfort or practicality. Here are a selection of other articles from our extensive library of content you may find of interest on the subject of Meta : Meta has placed a strong emphasis on delivering an exceptional user experience with the Orion glasses. The full-color, wide field of view display is complemented by real-time software development that enables intuitive user interactions. Whether it's engaging in video calls, browsing the web, or playing interactive games, the Orion glasses offer a seamless and immersive AR experience. With a two-hour battery life under continuous use, these glasses are well-suited for a variety of applications. Looking ahead, Meta plans to refine and miniaturize the technology showcased in the Orion glasses for future consumer products. There is potential for integrating Orion technologies into other Meta products, such as the Ray-Ban Meta glasses and Quest systems. Additionally, Meta is placing a significant focus on AI integration, aiming to enhance user experiences and expand the practical applications of AR. Developing the Orion glasses is not without its challenges. The high production costs and low yield rates for silicon carbide waveguides present significant hurdles that Meta must overcome. Furthermore, striking the right balance between display brightness, resolution, and power efficiency is crucial for delivering a comfortable and effective AR experience. Precise alignment and calibration of the various components are also essential to ensure user comfort and optimal performance. While the current Orion prototypes are not intended for consumer release, future consumer versions may be priced similarly to high-end smartphones or laptops. Meta's primary focus is on delivering a high-quality, valuable user experience right out of the box before expanding to third-party app development. This approach ensures that the technology is robust, user-friendly, and truly beneficial to consumers before it reaches a broader market. In conclusion, Meta's Orion AR glasses offer a tantalizing glimpse into the future of personal technology. With their innovative optical display systems, neural input interfaces, and thoughtful design, these glasses set a new standard for what AR can achieve. Despite the challenges and high production costs, the future prospects for this technology are incredibly promising, paving the way for more accessible, integrated, and transformative AR experiences in the years to come.

Everything Unveiled at Meta Connect 2024

A new, budget headset, updated smart glasses software, new AI tools, and a mind-blowing augmented reality prototype. September has been a busy month for technology events, but as the month wraps up, Meta came through with one of the most interesting, unveiling a range of new products, tools, and apps in their "Meta Connect 2024" event, which took place yesterday afternoon. The event can be divided into four main categories: virtual reality, smart glasses software, AI, and a preview of a future device combining all of them. The biggest hardware reveal was the Meta Quest 3S, Meta's new entry-level VR headset, which replaces the four-year-old Quest 2. The 3S comes so close in features to the full Quest 3 that it makes the higher-end model a harder sell for casual users. For a detailed breakdown, you can read our full preview, but in brief, the Quest 3S starts at $299 for a 128GB version, is available for pre-order, and will begin shipping on October 15. As expected, the older Quest 2 has been discontinued, and Meta has also discontinued the disappointing $1,500 Quest Pro, which targeted professional users. Meanwhile, the Quest 3 will remain in Meta's lineup, now only available in a 512GB version for $499. There were also several VR software updates. Meta has finally introduced versions of Instagram and Facebook designed for VR and mixed reality, borrowing design elements from Apple's Vision Pro headset. They've also added an "extended desktop" feature, which allows you to transfer your laptop's screen to a giant virtual monitor by simply looking at your laptop and tapping a floating digital button. The interface looks smooth and intuitive, but working in VR is uncomfortable enough that most people are unlikely to use this feature. On a similar note, Meta rolled out some updates to Connect Worlds, its virtual reality social space, along with upgraded avatars that look better. More exciting, though, is Meta's new Hyperscape tool, which allows users to explore photorealistic, three-dimensional real-world spaces. During the event, Meta demonstrated this by having Zuckerberg walk around the studio of artist Daniel Arsham and EastWest recording studio. Users can also capture their own spaces using an iPhone camera. The app is available in the U.S. today. Meta's Ray-Ban collaborative smart glasses also received updates. While there were no significant hardware changes beyond new prescription options and a limited-edition fully transparent model -- 7,500 pairs at $429 a pop -- this doesn't matter much, as the glasses remain among the best tech products on the market and have exceeded Meta's sales expectations. For the unfamiliar, these are glasses with cameras on the sides, speakers in each arm, and a voice assistant built into them. This means that you can instantly take hands-free, point-of-view photos and videos as you walk around, or play music on the speakers, and use Meta's AI to answer questions as you walk along. You can also video call with them now too; but remember, they don't have a screen. I wrote a rave review of the first-generation glasses, and the current, second-generation versions are far better, with a thinner case, better camera, and more functionality. The new announcements are split between "minor quality-of-life improvements, available now" and "ambitious AI changes, coming in the future." To start small, users will be able to control iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Spotify, and Audible through voice commands, and the AI assistant will now support follow-up questions without requiring "Hey Meta" before each query. This is something Google Assistant has been doing for over five years, but whatever. You can read more about their other AI features on my separate piece breaking down their new AI features, courtesy of their new Llama 3.2 model, but -- when they all work -- the on-glasses Assistant will be able provide answers based on live video of what you're doing through the classes; remember what you've told it; and let you live translate. None of these will work well at launch, but hopefully they get good over time. The final big announcement of the event was Orion; Meta's long awaited augmented reality glasses. Readers can read more about them in my separate preview piece, but the important thing to underline is that, no matter how cool they are, you can't buy them Orion was meant to be a consumer product, but facing production difficulties, they are instead just building around 1,000 of these prototype units, primarily to be used internally, and will work over the next few years to make them thinner, most stylish, and less prohibitively expensive. I expect to try a demo unit in a few weeks, and will give me thoughts on what they're actually like to use; but this is extremely impressive, expensive hardware and underlines that Meta is one of the most innovative hardware companies in Silicon Valley.

Will Meta's Orion smart glasses be the next 'iPhone moment'? Expert Q&A

Bangor University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK. Meta supremo Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Orion smart glasses, a new augmented reality (AR) prototype, at the annual Meta Connect developer conference. Ten years in the making, and still not expected on high streets until 2027, these will be a new way to meld the real and digital worlds. They will be controlled by the eyes and also the fingers via a neural interface on the wrist. So what does this mean for the future of AR wearables and how we interface with computers? We asked three tech specialists at the University of Bangor, Peter Butcher, Llŷr ap Cenydd and Panagiotis Ritsos. Why has Orion been such a technical challenge? There are serious technical challenges in packing so much sophisticated technology into something so compact. This includes new holographic display technology, hand and eye tracking, off-device processing, cameras, speakers and microphones - all while ensuring the device remains aesthetically appealing and has decent battery life. Meta's chief tech officer, Andrew Bosworth, recently captured the scale of the challenge by saying: "In consumer electronics, it might be the most advanced thing that we've ever produced as a species." The optical design is a huge challenge. Mixed reality headsets such as Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro rely on "passthrough" technology, in which external cameras capture real-time video of the user's surroundings. This is displayed inside the headset, with digital elements overlaid. In contrast, Orion's holographic projection allows users to directly see through transparent lenses, with graphics projected into their view. This has demanded substantial R&D. Are there other notable innovations? One key factor that determines the immersiveness of mixed reality headsets is their field of view, meaning the angular range that the viewer can see through the headset. The state of the art is the 70° field of view of the Magic Leap 2, bigger holographic AR glasses aimed at businesses currently priced above US$3,000 (£2,240)]. They are made by Magic Leap, a US company whose backers include Google and AT&T. With Orion, Meta has achieved a field of view of 70° in a much smaller product, which is a grand innovation and crucial for Zuckerberg's vision of an unobtrusive wearable device. The neural interface wristband is also vital. It listens to nerve impulses from the brain to the hand, allowing users to control the device using subtle finger gestures such as pinching and swiping thumb against index finger. Newer mixed reality headsets such as Apple Vision Pro are controlled similarly, but rely on external cameras to interpret hand movements. An advantage of tapping into nerve impulses directly is that gestures do not require line of sight, and eventually might not even require the person to perform the full gesture - only to think about it. The technology also opens up brand new input methods, such as texting via mimicking handwriting, and is likely to mature before consumer-grade holographic displays become available. Has Orion been more trouble than Meta expected? Meta initially gave the Orion prototype only a 10% chance of success, so it has exceeded expectations. While there is still much work to be done, particularly in reducing costs and miniaturising components, Orion could eventually lead to a consumer-ready device. Do you think Meta will get an affordable version launched by 2027? Meta thinks the initial price will be comparable to flagship phones or laptops the new iPhone 16 starts at £799. We might see development kits released towards the end of the decade, aimed at early adopters and developers, much like how VR headsets were introduced a decade ago. In the meantime, other AR glasses and mixed reality headsets such as Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro serve as platforms for developing applications that could eventually run on AR glasses. Why are the Orion glasses still so expensive? Holographic AR glasses remain expensive because much of the hardware - including Ledos micro-display panels and silicon carbide waveguides (which are used to optimise light transmission) - isn't yet produced at scale. These components are critical for achieving high resolution and holographic displays - and production constraints are reportedly pushing Orion unit prices close to US$10,000. Even then, battery life is currently limited to around two hours. Could anyone potentially beat Meta to market? Thanks to Meta's multi-billion dollar investment in R&D through its Reality Labs subsidiary, it has become a leader in virtual and mixed reality headsets, with a robust app ecosystem. However, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and Google are developing similar technologies. Microsoft's HoloLens and [Snapchat owner] Snap Inc's Spectacles series have made strides in AR, but responses have been mixed due to limitations such as narrow fields of view and lower graphics quality. Orion appears to be ahead in holographic display technology. Another company to particularly watch is Apple, which is refining Vision Pro and also exploring AR smart glasses. Will AR glasses change the world? AR glasses could ignite a transformative "iPhone moment" that redefines how we interact with technology. Zuckerberg envisions them as the next major computing platform, offering a more natural and intuitive alternative to smartphones. The success of early mass-market smart glasses such as Meta's Ray-Ban glasses, which allow users to make calls, capture videos and interact with Meta AI, hints that AR glasses could see widespread adoption. Zuckerberg initially believed holographic technology would be necessary for smart glasses to offer functionality beyond the basic features of these Ray-Bans. But being able to incorporate an AI voice-powered assistant has made Meta realise that smart glasses can be developed from the ground up as a new consumer product category. While the four-hour battery life requires improvement, the positive feedback from both reviewers and users, particularly using them on Instagram and TikTok, demonstrates the potential. What does the future look like? Reading messages, watching a virtual screen on the wall, playing games, collaborative work - all the things you can do with mixed-reality headsets, but shrunk down to a pair of glasses. Friends will teleport into your living room, a video call where both people feel present in the same space. It gets even stranger when you incorporate AI: virtual assistants can already see what you see, hear what you hear, talk to you, answer questions and follow commands using smart glasses. In future, AI will be able to manifest itself in your vision, and you'll be able to have natural conversations with it. By 2030, AI will radically change the ways in which we interact with each other, our physical world and computers. Orion aims to prepare us for a world in which the physical, artificial and virtual co-exist.

Meta offers a glimpse through its supposed iPhone killer: Orion | TechCrunch

For years, Silicon Valley and Wall Street have questioned Mark Zuckerberg's decision to invest tens of billions of dollars into Reality Labs. This week, Meta's wearables division unveiled a prototype of its Orion smart glasses, a form factor the company believes one day could replace the iPhone. That idea sounds crazy... but maybe a little less crazy than it did a week ago. Orion is a prototype headset that combines augmented reality, eye and hand tracking, generative AI, and a gesture-detecting wristband. Through micro LED projectors and silicon carbide lenses (which are quite expensive), Meta seems to have cracked a longstanding AR display challenge. The idea is that you can look through Orion -- you know, like a pair of glasses -- but also see application windows projected on the lenses that appear as if they're embedded in the world around you. Ideally, you can use your hands, eyes, and voice to navigate the environment. Though to be clear, Meta's Orion smart glasses are chunkier than your average readers, reportedly cost $10,000 a pop, and won't be available for sale anytime soon. We're talking years from now. All the technology in Orion is relatively young, and all of it needs to get cheaper, better, and smaller to work its way into a pair of smart glasses you can buy at the mall. Zuckerberg says the company has already been working on Orion for 10 years, but there's still no path to a sellable product. However, Meta is hardly the only company trying to put a smartphone replacement on your face. This month, Snap unveiled its latest generation of Spectacles smart glasses, which are larger than Orion and have a more limited field of view. One former Snap engineer called the latest Spectacles "obviously bad" -- though you can actually order them. Google hinted during its I/O conference in May that it, too, is working on a pair of smart glasses, perhaps a revamp of its failed Google Glass experiment from last decade. Apple is reportedly working on AR glasses that sound a lot like Orion. And we can't rule out Jony Ive's new startup, LoveFrom, which he recently confirmed is working on an AI wearable with OpenAI (though we don't know if they're glasses, a pin, or something else entirely). What's brewing is a race among Big Tech's richest companies to create a sleek pair of smart glasses that can do everything your smartphone can -- and hopefully something more. Meta's prototype made two things clear: there is something there, but we're not "there" yet. These devices are a notable departure from the Quest virtual reality headsets Meta has been pushing for years now, and Apple's Vision Pro. There's a lot of similar technology involved, like eye-tracking and hand tracking, but they feel completely different to use. VR headsets are bulky, uncomfortable to wear, and make people nauseous from staring at the displays. Sunglasses and eyeglasses, on the other hand, are relatively pleasant to wear and millions of Americans use them everyday. To Zuckerberg's credit, he's been pushing the eyewear form factor for quite a long time, when it certainly was not popular to do so. It's long been reported that Meta's CEO hates that his popular social media apps have to be accessed through Apple's phones (perhaps leading to the ill-fated Facebook Phone). Now, Meta's competitors are also dipping their toes into eyewear computing. Meta's early investment here seems to be paying off. Zuckerberg gave a keynote presentation of Orion on Wednesday that we won't be forgetting anytime soon, filling a room full of skeptical journalists with electricity and excitement. TechCrunch has not demoed Orion yet, but initial reviews have been very positive. What Meta offers today is the Ray-Ban Meta: a pair of glasses with cameras, microphones, speakers, sensors, an on-device LLM, and the ability to connect to your phone and the cloud. The Ray-Ban Meta is far simpler than Orion, but relatively affordable at $299 -- actually not much more than a regular pair of Ray-Bans. They're kind of like the Spectacles 3 that Snap released a few years ago, though the Ray-Ban Meta glasses appear more popular. Despite the vast differences in price and capabilities, Orion and Ray-Ban Meta are more related than you might think. "Orion is really the future, and we ultimately want to go for the full holographic experience. You can think about Ray-Ban Meta as our first step there," said Li-Chen Miller, a VP of product at Meta who leads its wearables team, in an interview with TechCrunch. "We really need to nail the basic things, like making sure it's comfortable, people want to wear it, and that people find value in it every day." One of the things Meta is trying to nail with Ray-Ban Meta is AI. Currently, the smart glasses use Meta's Llama models to answer questions about what you see in front of you, by taking pictures and running them through the AI system alongside a user's verbal requests. The Ray-Ban Meta's AI features today are far from perfect: The latency is worse than OpenAI's natural-feeling Advanced Voice Mode; Meta AI requires very specific prompts to work right; it hallucinates; and it doesn't have a tight integration with many apps, making it less useful than just picking up my iPhone (perhaps by Apple's deisgn). But Meta's updates coming later this year try to address these issues. Meta announced it will soon release live AI video processing for their Ray-Bans, meaning the smart glasses will stream live video and verbal requests into one of Llama's multimodal AI models and will produce real-time, verbal answers based on that input. It's also getting basic features, like reminders, as well as more app integrations. That should make the whole experience a lot smoother, if it works. Miller says these improvements will filter up to Orion, which runs on the same generative AI systems. "Some things make more sense for one form factor than the other, but we're certainly cross-pollinating," said Miller. Likewise, she says some of Orion's features may filter down as her team focuses on making the AR glasses more affordable. Orion's various sensors and eye trackers are not cheap technologies. The problem is that Orion has to get both better and more economical. Another challenge is typing. Your smartphone has a keyboard, but your smart glasses won't. Miller worked on keyboards at Microsoft for nearly 20 years before joining Meta, but she says Orion's lack of keyboard is "freeing." She argues that using smart glasses will be a more natural experience than using a phone. You can simply talk, gesture with your hands, and look at things to navigate Orion; all things that come naturally to most people. Another device that was criticized for lacking a keyboard was, ironically, the iPhone. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer infamously laughed at the iPhone in 2007, saying it wouldn't appeal to business customers because it didn't have a physical keyboard. People adapted though, and his comments sound naive more than 15 years later. I think making Orion feel natural is definitely more of a goal than a reality at this point. The Verge notes in its hands-on review that windows occasionally filled the entire glasses lens, completely obstructing the user's view of the world around them. That's far from natural. To get there, Meta will have to improve its AI, typing, AR, and a long list of other features. "For Ray-Ban Meta, we kept it very scoped to a few things, and then it does them really well," said Miller. "Whereas, when you want to build a new, futuristic computing platform [with Orion], we have to do a lot of things, and do them all very well."

Can Meta's Orion glasses rival a smartphone? Here's what Mark Zuckerberg is saying

Meta CEO Zuckerberg has now finally, after a long wait, launched his special Orion glasses, which are AI-enabled and has the potential of a smartphone, according to a Space Daily report. Orion overlays holographic images onto the wearer's view, aiming to rival smartphones. "The right way to look at Orion is as a time machine," Zuckerberg stated at the Meta's annual developers' conference in Silicon Valley on Wednesday. He described Orion as a glimpse into an exciting future, despite slow consumer adoption of competing devices like Apple's Vision Pro. Meta hopes to attract users with stylish Ray-Ban designs and advanced AI capabilities, including answering questions and real-time translations. "With Orion, we are getting closer to achieving the dream... to create the next major computing platform," he said. Zuckerberg cautioned that Orion is still in development and years away from release. Weighing about 100 grams, it's lighter than Meta's Quest and Apple's Vision Pro. Users can interact through gestures and voice commands, enabling activities like virtual games. Additionally, Meta launched AI chatbots featuring voices of stars like John Cena and Judi Dench, aiming to enhance user engagement. Zuckerberg noted, "I think that voice has the potential to be one of, if not the most frequent ways, that we all interact with AI." These voice features will be available on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, although not in Europe due to data protection regulations. Meta AI serves as a versatile assistant, building on last year's version, with over 400 million monthly users. The company aims to make it "the most widely used AI assistant by the end of the year." Despite the ambition, critics highlight users often encounter Meta AI inadvertently, especially as it replaces traditional search functions. Meta's strong advertising revenue has boosted profits, with shares rising 60 percent this year. Yet, analysts express concerns about privacy and trust. "When I think about AI, Meta is not necessarily the first brand that comes to mind," noted analyst Carolina Milanesi, emphasizing consumers' hesitance over data usage. Has the Meta Orion glasses been launched? Meta's latest product, Orion has been launched finally by Mark Zuckerberg, during an annual conference held very recently. Is the Meta Orion equipped with AI? Yes, the Orion glasses have been embedded with AI technology, which is Meta's in-house artificial intelligence, having the power to beat a smartphone, as being claimed.