Meta and MediaTek are developing AR smart glasses technology
A new relationship with MediaTek demonstrates that Meta is taking the potential of augmented reality smart glasses very seriously, as the business is working to broaden the scope of what these glasses may truly do.
At the MediaTek 2023 conference, a MediaTek executive named Vince Hu made the formal announcement of a new cooperation with Meta. This partnership will enable the company that is responsible for the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to create something that is more capable of providing augmented reality or mixed reality experiences.
The Ray-Ban Meta glasses of the current generation are equipped with both a camera and a microphone, allowing the wearer to send and receive messages. The next iteration of Meta’s own smart glasses will most likely come equipped with an integrated viewfinder display that will link the virtual and real worlds. This will make it possible for wearers to go through messages, perform QR code scans, and carry out a variety of other tasks. In addition to that, the business has plans to begin producing augmented reality spectacles, which introduces a far larger range of difficulties.
Quite a few things will need to be adjusted in order to achieve this goal. AR glasses need to be developed for daily use and optimised to take on an industrial design that looks beautiful but can carry enough technology to provide a decent experience. They also need to be built for a price point that is affordable for most people. As things stand, mixed-reality headsets are cumbersome and have a noticeable presence due to their size. In an ideal world, Meta’s completely AR glasses would be more svelte and have a slimmer profile.
Because the two firms have agreed to form a new collaboration, MediaTek will now be able to assist Meta in the co-development of bespoke silicon, which will be designed exclusively for AR use cases and the spectacles. MediaTek is an industry leader in the development of low-power, high-performance system-on-chips (SoCs) that are capable of fitting within narrow limits, such as the frame of a pair of augmented reality glasses.
This is a fascinating move for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the fact that the already available second-generation Ray-Ban meta glasses are fitted with a Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 SoC.
It was stated openly that “MediaTek-powered AR glasses from Meta” will be a thing at some point in the future, but other than that, very little information regarding the forthcoming augmented reality glasses was disclosed. The next generation of smart glasses with a viewfinder is expected to be released in the year 2025, while a more comprehensive pair of augmented reality glasses is referred to as a product that will be released in the year 2027. If done correctly, this product has the potential to be spectacular. The formation of a partnership between Meta and MediaTek seems to be an effective step in the correct path.
