Five years ago, we announced to the world that we were developing augmented reality (AR) glasses. We believe people shouldn’t have to choose between having access to all the information they need and staying present in the physical world around them.
Today, we’re proud to introduce Orion, which we believe is the most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made. Orion bridges the gap between the physical and digital worlds, allowing people to be more connected, present, and empowered in their everyday lives.
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Why Augmented Reality Glasses?
There are three main reasons why AR glasses are crucial for the next big step in human-centered technology:
- They offer digital experiences beyond a smartphone screen: With large holographic displays, AR glasses let you use the real world as your canvas, where you can place 2D and 3D content anywhere you like.
- They come with smart, AI-powered features: Orion can sense and understand the environment around you, predicting and addressing your needs without you having to ask.
- They’re lightweight and practical: Whether indoors or outdoors, AR glasses allow you to interact with digital information while still seeing others’ faces, eyes, and expressions.
These features reflect our industry’s ultimate goal: to create a product that combines the convenience of wearables with a large display, fast input capabilities, and contextual AI, all in a form people feel comfortable wearing daily.
The Evolution of Smart Glasses
Our Ray-Ban Meta glasses have already shown how powerful hands-free technology can be, giving people access to key digital features without pulling out a phone. You can talk to a smart assistant, connect with friends, and capture special moments easily.
While Ray-Ban Meta glasses opened up a new world of display-less, AI-enhanced glasses, the dream has always been to create true AR glasses—glasses that combine a large holographic display with personalized AI assistance, all in a form you can wear comfortably all day. Orion makes this dream a reality.
A Revolutionary AR Display in a Stylish Form
For years, we’ve been working on how to take the amazing spatial experiences offered by VR and mixed reality (MR) headsets and shrink the technology down to fit in a lightweight, stylish pair of glasses.
Achieving the right balance of form and function, delivering holographic displays, and creating intuitive AR experiences was no easy task. We faced many challenges, and at one point, we believed we had less than a 10% chance of succeeding. But we pushed forward.
Orion represents an incredible achievement in miniaturization, with components packed into the tiniest spaces. We’ve made countless innovations to shrink the design down to a modern, everyday pair of glasses.
Orion offers the largest field of view ever seen in AR glasses, making it perfect for multitasking, watching large-screen entertainment, or even viewing life-size holograms of people. Digital content blends seamlessly with your physical surroundings.
But what truly sets Orion apart is that it looks and feels like an actual pair of glasses, with transparent lenses. Unlike other AR or MR headsets, you can still see people’s eyes and facial expressions, keeping you present and engaged with those around you.
Augmented Reality Experiences
Of course, hardware is only as good as what you can do with it. Even though it’s early days, Orion already offers a glimpse into the exciting experiences it will enable.
Orion runs Meta AI, a smart assistant that understands your environment and offers helpful visualizations. For example, you could look inside your refrigerator and ask for recipe suggestions based on what you have, or take a video call while managing your family’s digital calendar—all without using your hands.
You can easily take a hands-free video call to catch up with friends and family, or stay connected on WhatsApp and Messenger to send and receive messages. There’s no need to unlock your phone or open an app—Orion does it all.
Our teams are constantly working on improving these experiences, and we’re excited about what’s coming next.
A Well-Crafted Product Prototype
While Orion won’t be available to consumers right away, it’s important to note that this is not just a research prototype. It’s one of the most polished prototypes we’ve ever created and truly represents a product that could be released to the public. Instead of rushing it to market, we’ve focused on refining it internally to push the boundaries of AR technology and ensure an even better product in the future.
What’s Next
Starting today, we’re giving Meta employees and select external partners access to Orion so we can continue testing and improving it. Our goal is to learn as much as we can, so we can refine Orion and prepare for a consumer version that we plan to launch soon.
Now that we’ve introduced Orion, we’re focused on:
- Improving the AR display quality for sharper visuals
- Further optimizing the design to make it even smaller and more comfortable
- Scaling production to make it more affordable for everyone
In the coming years, you’ll see new devices from us that build on the research and development behind Orion. This isn’t just a peek into the future; it’s a look at what’s possible right now. From Ray-Ban Meta glasses to Orion, we’ve seen the incredible benefits of letting people stay connected and engaged in the real world, while also tapping into the vast potential of the digital world.
