Meta has unveiled details about its Aria Gen 2 smart glasses, which serve as a testing platform for advancements in augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and robotics. These experimental glasses incorporate multiple enhancements into a lightweight design, featuring an upgraded eye-tracking system capable of tracking individual eye movements, detecting blinks, and determining pupil centers.
Meta explains that these sophisticated signals provide insight into the wearer’s visual focus and intentions, opening up new avenues for interaction between humans and computers. The Aria Gen 2 was first introduced in February with the promise of leading to innovations that would define future computing platforms. This latest model builds upon the original version released in 2020, which was exclusively available for research purposes.
In addition to the eye-tracking advancements, the Aria Gen 2 is equipped with four computer vision cameras that enable 3D tracking of hands and objects, allowing researchers to facilitate precisely controlled tasks such as “dexterous robot hand manipulation.”
The device also includes a photoplethysmography sensor in the nosepad for estimating the wearer’s heart rate, as well as a contact microphone that enhances audio clarity in noisy environments. An ambient light sensor is also incorporated, enabling the glasses to distinguish between indoor and outdoor lighting conditions.
For the first time, the Aria Gen 2 features folding arms, and they weigh approximately 75 grams. The glasses come in eight different sizes, and Meta intends to open applications for researchers to begin collaborating on this technology later this year. This initiative builds on the groundwork laid by Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses and aims to expand into new territories with the forthcoming Orion augmented-reality glasses, a potential partnership with Oakley, and the anticipated launch of a high-end “Hypernova” model that will include a built-in screen.
Correction, June 4th: A previous version of the headline mistakenly referred to the glasses as “AR” due to an editing error. This has been corrected.
