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

Earlier this year, Meta threw out a little teaser called Aria Gen 2. It’s basically their next-round research glasses. At the start, they were kinda tight-lipped—didn’t spill much. But now, seems like they’re almost ready to hand these things over to third-party researchers next year. And in doing so, they’re kinda hinting at what AR glasses of the future might look like. I can’t help but wonder, you know?

So, they dropped more hints in a blog post, talking all about these glasses’ bits and bobs—like form factor, sound, cameras, sensors, and how much computing it can do right on the thing. Even though Aria Gen 2 isn’t doing full AR magic since it doesn’t have a display, the innards are promising. Maybe they’re onto something big? Or small? I don’t even know.

Better Vision for Computers?

Okay, so basically, for future AR glasses that you can wear all day, Meta’s saying you just gotta have super strong computer vision. Like how they can map indoor spaces and recognize stuff. With Gen 2, they doubled the CV cameras from two to four. You’d think they’d be cameras that get our best side, right? They threw in a 120 dB HDR global shutter, a beefed-up field of view, and 80 degrees of stereo overlap. It’s like a vision upgrade—we’ll have to “see” how that goes.

Oh, then there’s this thing they call SLAM. Saw some demo where the glasses were showing off inside a room. SLAM sounds cool, but also a little too much like slam poetry. Anyway—wait, no—what was I on about?

New Whatnots & Brainier Computing

Meta decided to up their sensor game too. I mean, there’s an ambient light sensor, some snazzy contact mic in the nosepad for when things get noisy, and even a heart rate sensor. Yep, it’s like your pulse will spill the tea on how excited (or bored) you are.

The compute work, though—now that’s a step up from Gen 1. Visual-Inertial Odometry for 6DOF (honestly, sounds like sci-fi jargon), advanced eye tracking, and even 3D hand tracking. Gets really technical, right? Oh, and new radio tech that lets it align with other devices super duper fast. Because why not?

Surprisingly Not Heavy

For how much brain juice this thing has, it’s actually super light—just 74-76g. Comparatively, typical glasses weigh 20-50g, but that’s like depending on how thick your lenses are or something. The 2g difference in Aria is due to having eight size options—guess they want it to fit just right. Also folds up like regular glasses. Kind of feels normal, huh?

But haven’t heard squat about battery life yet. There’s a USB-C port though, on the right arm. Maybe that’s a clue about tethering to a battery? Just a thought.

Where Human Meets Machine Vision

Aria Gen 2 isn’t just watching what’s around but also tracking how you’re physically perceiving your space. Like making coffee in your kitchen, it tracks all your eye movements and even heart rate—catching every twitch and beat.

It’s got a camera, a magnetometer, two IMUs, and a barometer. Loads of data, really. Perfect for those human-centric research bits, but maybe, just maybe, it’s prepping for the future AR spectacles we keep hearing about.

Are We There Yet, Future?

Meta’s pushing the idea that these glasses are stepping stones to the next big computing leap—whatever that is. And even if smartphones aren’t exactly doomed yet, who knows where we’ll be in a few years? Probably still trying to untangle headphone wires… or not?

Meta’s already got some AR glasses in the consumer realm. Those have tiny displays, muscley processors, and enough battery to keep going. But it’s a challenge—a bit like running a marathon, sorta. Meanwhile, there’s the Orion AR prototype—hooked up to a wireless unit. That’s Meta’s strategy for now, anyway.

Andrew Bosworth, the big cheese at Reality Labs, thinks we’re getting there. He envisions an AR thing from Orion this decade, maybe priced above a smartphone. And keeping wallets in mind, more info should surface at CVPR 2025 in Nashville. Aria Gen 2 will have some showcase moments there, between June 11th-15th. I’m almost curious. Or am I?