After Facebook’s recent announcement of the upcoming release of the Oculus Quest 2 VR glasses, it is now clear that the company has another ace up its sleeve. For example, the social media giant wants to launch smart glasses on the market next year. Mark Zuckerberg’s company is working with none other than the popular eyewear manufacturer Ray Ban.
Scarce information
Unfortunately, both companies are currently holding back on further details about smart glasses. All we know so far is that they are scheduled to be launched in 2021. But we can already look at the design. And it looks really interesting. Facebook has published several videos that should whet your appetite for more. But even with the videos, it is not yet clear what functions the glasses will be capable of in detail.
Does Facebook sound a Smart Glass
If you can believe a tweet from Facebook, the upcoming glasses are not really AR-glasses, but rather smart glasses. So they are probably most comparable to Google Glass. Facebook makes it clear that the glasses can display messages among other things. However, the glasses do not perceive the outside world. Therefore, the glasses cannot be a purebred AR-glasses. After all, the glasses should then be able to allow some kind of interaction with the outside world. To speak of smart glasses therefore makes more sense.
Cameras are not necessary – not yet
This gives Facebook a big advantage in the development process. The company does not have to install cameras that make it possible to scan the outside world. Surely Facebook does not do without such cameras, because it is not possible to put it into practice. It rather seems that the company is learning from the mistakes of Google’s smart glasses. After all, at Google Glass, the cameras caused a lack of acceptance by the end customer. The fear on the part of data protectionists was simply too great. As a result, Google withdrew the glasses from the market without further ado. At least from the market for private customers. After all, Google Glass is by no means dead. It is still used in many companies today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdj9U0pyem4
Facebook wants to make a new start in the smart glasses segment with its smart glasses. With the support of the well-known company Ray Ban, the social media giant hopes for a high level of acceptance among end customers. The product of smart glasses should be perceived in a completely new way by the general public. But Facebook will by no means be satisfied with the new smart glasses. According to the company, it wants to deliver products that “change the way we look at the world”. This suggests that Facebook may be looking for a seamless transition from simple smart glasses to AR glasses. It remains to be seen whether this plan will work.
AR glasses are the future
According to Facebook, AR-Glasses have great potential. After all, the company has announced the launch of “Project Aria” parallel to the upcoming spectacles. This project has one thing in mind: to create the perfect pair of AR-Glasses. To achieve this goal, Facebook has handed out AR-Glasses to several hundred people. These are not only employees of Facebook itself but also many volunteers. They should wear the glasses in their everyday life. In the course of the experiment, it is intended to find out which algorithms are required for AR glasses. According to Facebook, the company pays close attention to the privacy and data protection of participants and third parties. After all, everyday video recordings also result in correspondingly personal recordings. To what extent one can believe the company’s focus on appropriate security is doubtful. After all, the social network is by no means synonymous with mature data protection.
Aria is still a dream of the future
Facebook speaks of “Project” Aria not without reason. These are the first steps of an AR-Glasses. Accordingly, the functions of the glasses are currently still limited. For example, the research tool does not yet display any information in the field of vision. Its sole purpose is to collect information. All the more convenient is the release of the “normal” smart glasses from Facebook. After all, the company can perfect the information in the field of vision in a gigantic field study. The bottom line is that in a few years, we can probably expect the first real pair of AR glasses from Facebook. We are excited.
