- Meta unveiled its prototype “Orion” AR glasses that can project holograms in front of the user’s eyes
- The Orion glasses require pairing with an EMG (electromyography) wristband to interpret hand gestures for input
- Meta showcased potential use cases like reading product information overlaid on physical objects, accessing social media apps in AR view, and projecting holographic avatars
Augmented reality (AR) headsets have long been a tantalizing vision that always seem just out of reach. At its Meta Connect 2024 event, Meta unveiled a prototype AR headset dubbed Project Orion that may finally deliver on that promise.
Introducing Meta’s Project Orion
Project Orion is a thick-rimmed pair of AR glasses capable of displaying holographic content in front of the wearer’s eyes. The glasses can be controlled via voice commands, gestures, and even brain signals.
Key Hardware Specs
The Orion glasses project images onto a waveguide screen on the left lens. The glasses fold at the arms to house the battery and minimize weight. Orion has a 70-degree field of view and uses a micro-LED projector and silicon carbide lens. It weighs 98 grams.
Advanced Input Methods
In addition to hand tracking and eye tracking sensors, Orion connects to an electromyography (EMG) wristband. This wristband reads subtle muscle movements in the hand, translating them into inputs for controlling the AR interface.
Processing Power Housed Externally
To keep the glasses lightweight, Orion offloads processing to an external wireless compute puck. The puck handles AR graphics, algorithms, and input processing while the glasses simply display the visuals.
Demo Showcases Versatile Capabilities
Meta demoed Orion identifying foods on a table and overlaying info tags about each ingredient. Another demo involved displaying social media feeds and apps as holograms suspended in the air. The demos highlighted potential uses from gaming to visual aids.
Closing Thoughts
While Meta teased its AR glasses, Orion won’t be available to consumers for some time. However, the prototype shows the rapid progress being made toward usable AR headsets. Meta has cracked the visuals, now the race is on to refine the design and interface before these sci-fi glasses can hit the mainstream.
