Inside Meta’s ‘Aria’ Research Glasses: A Glimpse into the Future of AR Technology

Earlier this year, Meta’s like, "Hey, check out Aria Gen 2," right? These are their new research glasses. But honestly, they didn’t spill much tea about it. Flash forward, and now they’re teasing that third-party researchers will get their hands on this thing next year. And yeah, it’s got me thinking where AR glasses are headed.

So here we are, expecting more deets from Meta. They finally dished out some info, revealing a bit more about Aria Gen 2’s audio, cameras, sensors, and on-device brainpower. Oh, and by the way, it’s not about full-on augmented reality magic since there’s no display. But hey, it’s setting some stages for future tech wonders.

Computer Vision Upping Its Game

Picture this: future AR glasses you can rock all day…they’re going to need some serious computer vision mojo. You know, like knowing where you are and what stuff is around you. Meta says they’ve doubled the CV cameras on Aria Gen 2 from two to four. It’s like giving these glasses a pair of extra eyes. Add in a fancy 120 dB HDR global shutter, some wide views, and overlapping angles, and boom—you get mad 3D tracking and depth-perception skills.

And they’ve got a cool demo of these glasses doing its SLAM thing—mapping and tracking space like a boss. No idea why that tickled my brain so much, but it did.

Sensors & Brainier Tech

They’ve pimped out the sensors too—talking ambient light sensors, a nosepad mic for when you’re yelling over noise, even a heart rate monitor. Also, their on-device computing got an upgrade (on their custom coprocessor no less). I mean, you’ve got stuff like visual-inertial odometry for six degrees of freedom tracking. And, get this, their new radio tech aligns time between gadgets in under a millisecond. Wild, right?

Light as a Feather, Sorta

And oh, these goggles are light! Between 74 to 76 grams. Okay, not featherlight like your grandma’s specs, but still. They’ve even got eight size options for different noggins and bridge sizes. Plus, they fold up neat, so there’s that. Battery life? Yeah, Meta’s playing coy, but there’s a USB-C port there for… something, heh.

Mixing Human with Machine

So yeah, Aria Gen 2 isn’t just about seeing your surroundings. It’s about catching your vibes while doing regular stuff, like making coffee. Peep in the pic below. It tracks your eye moves, heart rate—maybe even your feels about that strong espresso. All through its CV cameras, magnetometer, and stuff like that.

Meta’s pushing it as a goldmine for human-centric studies. Future AR specs might scoop up info like this too. Creepy or cool? I can’t decide.

On the Road to AR

Meta’s like, “Aria Gen 2’s setting the stage for the next big tech thing.” Fully replacing smartphones? That’s not coming anytime soon, buddy.

They’re eyeing AR glasses as the next-gen stuff, even though fitting big displays and all-day batteries… well, that’s a tech puzzle. But Meta’s Orion Prototype is tackling it with a tethered unit.

Andrew Bosworth, the big boss at Reality Labs, says expect an Orion-based AR device this decade. Price tag? Higher than your iPhone, likely.

Meta plans to show off Aria Gen 2 at CVPR 2025 in Nashville—June 11th to 15th. They’re promising demos, and I bet more reveals are on the horizon. Stay tuned, ‘cause you know we’re all over it.