A few months ago, Meta introduced the Orion, a pair of smart glasses with cutting-edge holographic display units. While those glasses are still a few years into the future, Meta has today introduced the Aria Gen 2 platform.
Key Features and Upgrades
The Aria Gen 2 smart glasses come with a number of advanced features, setting them apart from previous models and competitors in the wearable tech space:
- Photoplethysmogram (PPG) Sensor for Heart Rate Measurement:
These smart glasses are the first to include a PPG sensor embedded within the nose pad, allowing for continuous heart rate monitoring. While other wearables like Apple’s Beats PowerBeats Pro 2 earbuds offer similar heart rate monitoring, the Aria Gen 2 glasses are the first in the smart glasses category to offer this biosensing functionality. - Updated Sensor Stack:
The Aria Gen 2 comes equipped with a comprehensive suite of sensors:- RGB Camera: For standard imaging tasks.
- Eye-Tracking Cameras: Enhancing user interaction and enabling advanced user experience features.
- Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) Cameras: These provide 6 degrees of freedom (DoF) for more advanced spatial awareness and motion tracking.
- GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System): For location tracking.
- Barometer: To measure atmospheric pressure.
- Magnetometer: For detecting magnetic fields and supporting more precise navigation capabilities.
- Contact-Based Microphone Array:
The glasses are equipped with a microphone array that isolates the user’s voice from ambient noise. This will improve the clarity of voice commands and communication, making them useful in noisy environments. - Custom Processing Assembly for Efficient Power Use:
Meta has developed a custom processing unit that ensures the sensors draw power as efficiently as possible. This has resulted in impressive battery life, with the Aria Gen 2 able to support six to eight hours of continuous use, a major achievement in the realm of wearable tech.
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Unfortunately, these smart glasses are not for sale to the masses. Instead, they are targeted toward researchers, and will also be used by Meta’s own employees working in Reality Labs and FAIR AI divisions. The goal is to advance technology in areas such as automobiles, med-tech, and robotics.
The glasses are already finding utility in developing new tools, including those aimed at helping people with vision problems and improving navigation. Additionally, the data collected from the glasses will be used to enhance robotic training, a key area for Meta as the company moves toward the development of humanoid robots in the future.