During Meta’s Connect Event, CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the Orion, their first ever made and the “most advanced pair of AR glasses.” Orion was previously codenamed ‘Project Nazare,’ it is the creation of several years of research and development that bridges the physical and virtual worlds.
Unlike Snap’s fifth-generation spectacles, Orion is indeed a true AR glass, which is relatively smaller and almost resembles a standard pair of spectacles. The foremost problems with several AR smart glasses are their heavy size, frequent heating, low resolution, and sometimes low field of view, which is not the case for Orion.
For manufacturing the lenses, Orion favored silicon carbide over plastic or glass. This not only makes the lenses durable and lightweight but also allows light from the projectors to fill more of the vision. This small and easy-to-carry design makes Orion perfect for everyday use.
Orion claims to have the largest field of view. When the glasses are on the eyes, the lenses light up in a swirl of blue projections, and the holographic displays furnish compelling AR experiences in a new human-computer interaction (HCI) paradigm.
Meta’s custom-designed micro LED projectors layer the multitasking window and big screen of holograms of people over the real world. These holograms unlock the true immersive use of these glasses by displaying other people’s eyes and expressions. Unlike other AR glasses or MR headsets, the digital content on the Orion lens does not hinder the view of the physical world and seamlessly blends with reality.
Meta claims to have hired numerous innovations, packing the components in a fraction of a millimeter to get the compact design it is now. There is no doubt why Zuckerberg calls it the “holy grail” that will replace smartphones one day.
Orion runs smartly, powered by Meta AI
While Orion is still in its early days, the company claims that “the experiences afforded by Orion are an exciting glimpse of what’s to come.”
Orion is supported by smart assistance Meta AI that holistically understands the physical world around it. Meta AI quite accurately anticipates and proactively addresses users’ needs.
For instance, when one looks at the objects, say, when opening the refrigerator, Orion’s Meta AI visualizes the names of the objects on top, like Apples, Milk, or Bananas. Interestingly, users can even ask Meta AI to make a recipe from the available ingredients in the refrigerator.
Orions also offers hand-free operating, which allows one to view WhatsApp and Messenger chats and send messages alongside doing domestic work.
“Our teams continue to iterate on the experiences available through Orion today to build new immersive social experiences, and we can’t wait to share what’s next,” says the Orion team.
Given that Prion is still under development and offers a purposeful product prototype, it is not made publicly available. Meta has insisted on internal development rather than merely rushing.
Beginning at the Connect event, Meta will start rolling out the Orion product prototype to its employees and select external audiences
