Facebook’s interest in AR smart glasses was telegraphed by Mark Zuckerberg at the company’s 2016 developer conference. A new report today reveals some details about Facebook’s “Orion” project and a possible time frame.
According to CNBC, Facebook’s glasses are internally code-named “Orion.” Named after the hunter in Greek mythology, the project is being developed by Facebook Reality Labs — which essentially subsumed Regina Dugan’s Building 8 skunkworks group — in Redmond, Washington.
The social network wants the device to replace smartphones, with a small screen letting users take calls, livestream to friends, and show other information.
User input would be handled by a voice assistant that’s being developed by the same team. Facebook has also experimented on a “ring device” codenamed “Agios” that uses a motion sensor to give users another entry method.
According to today’s report, Facebook has “struggled” to miniaturize “the device into a form factor that consumers will find appealing.”
Facebook is reportedly targeting sometime between 2023 and 2025 to have smart glasses ready for consumers, but there’s ultimately “no guarantee.” That said, Zuckerberg instructed Facebook hardware head Andrew Bosworth to prioritize development.
Wow this is amazing.