Meta is still working on its AR glasses, and they’re supposedly pretty neat
*Header image is referential, showcasing the Xreal Air 2. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Project Nazare, Meta’s fully augmented reality glasses, was first revealed in 2021. Now Meta’s Head of AR Glasses Hardware, Caitlin Kalinowski, has revealed a few more details about these AR glasses of the future.
Kalinowski has a lot of experience under her belt. She’s worked on the Oculus Rift, Oculus Go and the current Oculus Quest headsets. Her team is now responsible for Project Nazare, and she believes they’ve made something truly special.
Project Nazare, Meta’s fully augmented reality glasses, was first revealed in 2021. Now Meta’s Head of AR Glasses Hardware, Caitlin Kalinowski, has revealed a few more details about these AR glasses of the future.
Kalinowski has a lot of experience under her belt. She’s worked on the Oculus Rift, Oculus Go and the current Oculus Quest headsets. Her team is now responsible for Project Nazare, and she believes they’ve made something truly special.
customers are going to be able to see both the original photons of the real world in addition to what overlay you effectively want to have.
— Caitlin Kalinowski, Android Central, April 2024
Basically, these glasses are going to be just like your ordinary pair of spectacles, except digital content will be projected onto the lenses. This already seems very cool, especially if the glasses are as inconspicuous as the Ray-Ban smart glasses. But what Kalinowski is most excited about is the field of view Project Nazare has.
You can buy AR glasses today, like the new Rokid AR Lite, but these usually have very limited FOV. Field of view, in simple terms, means how much of the world you can see. AR glasses typically have an FOV even narrower than VR headsets due to their smaller size.
The RayNeo Air 2 is an example of modern AR glasses. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Kalinowski claims nothing can prepare a user for the high field of view Project Nazare has. She also revealed that Meta has taken notes from the Ray-Ban smart glasses and how they were received.
Project Nazare will also incorporate AI, and is already using image-recognition AI to reduce camera size. This means there’s more space for a bigger battery, something a device like this definitely needs.
Project Nazare will also incorporate AI, and is already using image-recognition AI to reduce camera size. This means there’s more space for a bigger battery, something a device like this definitely needs.
We have looked at what's happening in AI and intentionally looked at our roadmap and made changes to take advantage of this AI revolution.
— Caitlin Kalinowski, Android Central, April 2024
Project Nazare is still probably a few years out from release, but Kalinowski’s claims have me excited. Not everybody wants to go outside wearing a bulky headset like the Vision Pro. Which is why I’m hoping AR glasses are the next smartphones, and completely change how we look at the world. Literally.
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