At the Meta Connect 2024 conference, several announcements were made, including the launch of the Meta Quest 3. Yet, the event’s highlight was the reveal of the Orion glasses, touted as the company’s first fully functional prototype. This announcement quickly captured the attention of everyone in attendance, overshadowing other updates with its promise of groundbreaking technology.
The Meta Orion glasses arrived in a special armored suitcase, and according to Mark Zuckerberg, they are fully holographic AR glasses. Despite some initial doubts from critics, the introduction of Orion is generating significant excitement. These glasses could represent a major leap forward in AR technology and might even pave the way for a future where smartphones are no longer necessary.
What Makes Orion Special?
Orion walks the walk with a working prototype that combines augmented reality technology with a cool design. The hardware consists of three main parts: the glasses, a neural wristband to control them, and a compute puck that looks like a large phone battery.
One of the coolest features of Orion is its 70-degree field of view. This means you can see a wider area compared to many other AR glasses, which often feel cramped.
Control and Display Features
The glasses weigh 98 grams, making them heavier than regular glasses but much lighter than mixed-reality headsets like Meta’s Quest or Apple’s Vision Pro. Orion has seven cameras built into the frames. These cameras help track your hand and eye movements, allowing the glasses to anchor virtual objects in real space. They also help Meta’s AI assistant understand what you’re looking at.
The display quality is surprisingly good for a pair of glasses. Video calls look clear and engaging, and you can read text from a website that is several feet away. However, the battery lasts only about two hours, which can make it tough to use for things like watching a movie.
How Do You Control Orion?
Controlling Orion is more than just using your hands. You can use eye tracking, hand gestures, voice commands, and the neural wristband. This wristband, which looks a bit like a screenless Fitbit, reads signals from your hands and turns them into actions on the glasses in just milliseconds.
The Future of Orion
Currently, Orion is still a $10,000 prototype, which means it’s far from being a product that anyone can buy. While the technology shows great potential, there are still challenges to tackle, like lowering costs, making the glasses smaller, and improving battery life to suit daily needs. Meta understands that it may take several years to develop Orion into something that everyday consumers will want.
In the meantime, Meta has launched the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. These are more user-friendly, featuring cameras and sensors, and they are priced at $299. These glasses aim to deliver a more practical experience, and Meta will use feedback from the Ray-Ban Meta to help refine Orion and create a truly immersive AR experience.
Conclusion
In short, Orion represents an exciting step forward in AR technology. Although it still has a long way to go, it offers a fascinating look at a future where smart glasses could become part of our everyday lives, possibly replacing smartphones and changing how we connect with the digital world. As Meta continues to improve both Orion and the Ray-Ban Meta, it’s clear that wearable technology will play an essential role in shaping the next generation of our tech experiences.
About Arbisoft
Like what you read? If you’re interested in partnering with us, contact us here. Our team of over 900 members across five global offices specializes in Artificial Intelligence, Traveltech, and Edtech. Our partner platforms serve millions of users daily.
We’re always excited to connect with people who are changing the world. Get in touch!
Top comments (0)