It is expected that in 2024, Meta plans to launch a revolutionary AR glasses prototype called "Orion"

Message on December 24, meta, A technology company with huge influence in the social media world is now pinning its strong hopes on augmented reality (AR) glasses, a technology considered to be the next generation computing platform. Recently, meta’s technical director Andrew Bosworth (Andrew Bosworth revealed in an interview that the company is expected to launch an advanced AR glasses prototype code-named "Orion" in 2024.

For a long time, meta’s investment in AR technology is no less than in other fields. They have invested huge amounts of money, amounting to billions of dollars. , aiming to create a revolutionary product comparable to the iPhone. Although they announced last year that they would terminate the mass production plan of Orion glasses and instead provide this product as a demonstration sample of future AR technology to specific developers, this has not weakened their pursuit and expectations for this technology.

According to the editor’s understanding, Bosworth confirmed previous media reports about the project in an interview and said that a small number of meta employees plan to start working on the glasses next year. Conduct internal testing. He also predicted: "In 2024, people are likely to have the opportunity to experience this device personally."

Bosworth spoke highly of this pair of glasses. He called it "the most advanced consumer electronics device ever created" and said: "While it may be controversial to say this, it has the potential to be the most advanced consumer electronics on the planet, perhaps even the most cutting-edge ever made by humans. Technology."

However, Bosworth admitted that the cost of the glasses is very high and has not yet reached the conditions for mass production. He pointed out: "The cost required by Orion's technology roadmap is huge. There is still a long way to go before the price and size of AR glasses reach a level acceptable to ordinary consumers. Although having such a powerful The device is exciting, but it is not currently well suited to our pursuit of widespread adoption of the technology," the details were mentioned in a report earlier this year. The report states that the Orion prototype uses microLED display and silicon carbide waveguide technology. However, microLED technology currently cannot be mass-produced, which results in only small quantities of products being produced at high cost. In addition, because the silicon carbon waveguide material used in Orion glasses is used in military radars and sensors, exports are extremely restricted and therefore need to be assembled in the United States, which further increases production costs.

The report also mentioned , in order to reduce costs and achieve mass production, we plan to use lower-performance but lower-cost LCoS displays and glass waveguides. Although LCoS technology is not as advanced as microLED, it provides a transition solution. The production version of the glasses is expected to have a field of view of only about 50°, which is much lower than the 70° field of view of the Orion prototype.

It is reported that meta’s goal is to launch this AR glasses around 2027. The entire industry is working on making transparent AR glasses from science fiction a reality, and our demonstration of the technology certainly left a lasting impression. Nonetheless, judging from the current situation, it seems that there are still many difficulties and challenges that need to be overcome to actually bring this consumer-grade product to the market.

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