Exploring Meta’s ‘Aria’ Research Glasses: The Future of AR Technology

Earlier this year, Meta, in its mysterious wisdom, tossed Aria Gen 2 at us—another step in their research glasses saga. I don’t know about you, but details back then were as scarce as water in a desert. But now, here we are, with Meta planning to hand these babies off to outside researchers next year. Maybe then we’ll finally see the future of AR glare. Or maybe not. Who knows?

So, Meta finally opened up a bit, dropping a blog post with some juicy bits about Aria Gen 2. Stuff like its shape, sound quality, cameras, sensors, and whatever their on-device compute thingy is supposed to be. Can’t say I’m a techie, but it seems like they’re leading the charge in AR glasses. Even if—irony alert—it lacks an actual display. Go figure.

### Computer Vision That Will Make Your Head Spin

Alright, I’ll bite. If future AR glasses are gonna be worn all day, they need to have crazy good computer vision, like mapping your living room without tripping over the cat. Meta says Aria Gen 2 doubles its cameras—now up to four—compared to its older sibling. HDR this, 80° that, 3D tracking blah blah blah. Honestly, I’m just glad these things won’t misstep down a dark hallway.

Caught a glimpse of these specs in action, flitting around a room like they own the place. It’s like they were showing off or something.

### Sensors That Make You Go “Hmm”

New delightfully geeky stuff includes sensors for every little thing. How about a light sensor, or a nosepad microphone for when the office’s noise level rivals a rock concert? There’s even a heart rate sensor. Any day now, they’ll be able to tell if you’re lying!

Meta swears on a leap in on-device compute — apparently now equipped with magic. Everything from spatial tracking to eye motion data. Whatever that means. It’s super techy, and SubGHz radio tech means almost nothing to me… but it sounds impressive!

### Featherweight Champs

And the weight? Just 74-76g. Somehow this is miraculous! Your reading glasses could be heavier. Or not. Depends on your face, I guess. They come in eight sizes, like shoes. And they fold. Because ordinary glasses do that—why not these, right?

No one whispered a word about the battery. Although, the USB-C port might as well be a dead giveaway for power-thirsty features. Can’t blame them—I’d faint too at the thought of all-day power.

### Human Meets Machine in the Weirdest of Ways

Aria Gen 2 isn’t just about watching the world through a lens. Oh no. It tracks how you, the human, react to everything. Like when you’re making your morning coffee (or attempting to). Tracks your eye moves, heart rate—probably judging if you’re a caffeine addict.

Loads of gizmos keep it aware of where you are. Cameras, magnets, and a list of words I barely remember. But they collect data like it’s going out of style—stuff future AR glasses will hoard like gold.

### The AR Future Fantasy

Meta says these glasses will build the next big thing—they’re laying the groundwork. But considering the world still worships smartphones, that dream seems forever away.

Some AR glasses already strut around, but none have cracked the code for squeezing display tech and nonstop power into a slim pair. Meta’s been toying with Aria and the Orion prototype, tethered to some compute device, trying to solve that puzzle. Keep your dreams big, right?

Their CTO, Andrew Bosworth, thinks we’ll get an AR device based on Orion this decade. Maybe pricier than a smartphone. Start saving, I guess.

More tales will be spun about Aria Gen 2 soon, though. Meta plans to show it off at CVPR 2025 in Nashville. Expect demos and flashy displays. June 11-15. Mark your calendars in case you want to witness more tech sorcery. Or just see if I’m wrong.