Meta Orion AR glasses with holographic displays unveiled at Meta Connect
Meta Orion was unveiled Wednesday at Meta Connect 2024 as the company’s first augmented reality (AR) glasses after nearly a decade of development. At its annual conference on mixed reality and wearable technology, Facebook’s parent company showed off a prototype of its AR glasses, which feature holographic displays and support for Meta AI. The device won’t be commercially available, but the company plans to introduce a version for customers within a few years.
Meta Orion unveiled with holographic displays and Meta AI support
The Meta Orion glasses, previously codenamed Project Nazare, are designed to look like regular glasses but offer AR capabilities. They are equipped with holographic displays that allow wearers to see 2D and 3D content superimposed on objects in their field of view. Meta has touted the device’s ability to multitask and offer video playback — even displaying “life-size holograms of people.”
Meta Orion can use the company’s Meta AI assistant for contextual information
Photo credit: Meta
In addition to supporting AR apps and entertainment features, the Orion AR glasses prototype also works with Meta AI, the company’s AI-powered assistant. The company says it can perform visual lookups when a user is looking at different objects, and a demo shows how it can provide contextual information – displaying a smoothie recipe when presented with multiple ingredients on a table.
Meta also says that the prototype Orion AR glasses will work with its messaging apps — WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger — allowing a wearer to view and send messages through the holographic display. The company also demonstrated the use of gestures to play AR games while wearing the headset, along with an image of a tire and what appears to be a controller next to the AR glasses.
Meta Orion next to a wrist accessory and what appears to be a controller
Photo credit: Meta
In an apparent dig at the Apple Vision Pro that went on sale earlier this year, Meta says people shouldn’t have to “choose between a world of information” and “being present in the physical world” around them. Apple’s mixed reality headset offers access to high-resolution content in both virtual reality (VR) and AR modes, but the device is larger than Meta’s prototype and obscures the wearer’s eyes and facial expressions.
Meta Orion will not be available to customers
Meta Orion will not be available to customers, the company said. The company’s employees will be able to use the prototype to continue developing Meta’s consumer AR glasses product, which will be built in the style of Orion. The company also said that “select external audiences” will also have access to the AR glasses.
There’s no word from Meta on when customers can expect a commercial version of its AR glasses. The company says new devices built from its research and development efforts are expected “in the next few years.” The company says its current priorities are improving the visuals on the AR display, shrinking the form factor, and making the device affordable by building it to scale.
