Meta’s Orion smart glasses looking for next ‘iPhone moment’

Meta supremo Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Orion smart glasses, a new augmented reality (AR) prototype, at the annual Meta Connect developer conference.

Ten years in the making, and still not expected on high streets until 2027, these will be a new way to meld the real and digital worlds. They will be controlled by the eyes and also the fingers via a neural interface on the wrist.

So what does this mean for the future of AR wearables and how we interface with computers? We asked three tech specialists at the University of Bangor, Peter Butcher, Llŷr ap Cenydd and Panagiotis Ritsos.

Why has Orion been such a technical challenge?

There are serious technical challenges in packing so much sophisticated technology into something so compact. This includes new holographic display technology, hand and eye tracking, off-device processing, cameras, speakers and microphones – all while ensuring the device remains aesthetically appealing and has decent battery life.

Meta’s chief tech officer, Andrew Bosworth, recently captured the scale of the challenge by saying: “In consumer electronics, it might be the most advanced thing that we’ve ever produced as a species.”

The optical design is a huge challenge. Mixed reality headsets such as Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro rely on “passthrough” technology, in which external cameras capture real-time video of the user’s surroundings. This is displayed inside the headset, with digital elements overlaid.

In contrast, Orion’s holographic projection allows users to directly see through transparent lenses, with graphics projected into their view. This has demanded substantial R&D.

Are there other notable innovations?

One key factor that determines the immersiveness of mixed reality headsets is