Facebook has announced the AR (Augmented Reality) glasses project Aria. The glasses will be positioned as a complementary device for smartphones.
Aria is currently an experimental project that is not marketed to the general consumer, and not even a prototype
Facebook’s expectation of Aria is that it will offer users all the benefits of cell phone connectivity, but without always having to keep their heads down and always staring at their phones. According to Facebook, potential applications for Aria include making a video call to a friend, warning them of a road hazard while driving, retrieving data during a meeting, and much more. Facebook is positioning Aria as a complementary device to the phone, replacing some of the phone’s features such as a Smartwatch.
“The glasses’ in-device processing power will be used to encrypt and store information that is separated during upload, and specify a back-end storage system that will help our researchers understand how AR can work in the real world,” the company stated.
LiveMaps was originally announced at last year’s Oculus Connect 6 and was also presented during a demo. According to Facebook, the 3D virtual map will enable future devices to understand the physical world by providing key information based on the immediate environment. In turn, these devices will provide ongoing platform updates, such as new street names.
“With Project Aria, we are moving towards a future where our devices will vanish in the trends of everyday life, improve the world around us during our lifetime, and make our devices more accessible in design and interactivity.”
Facebook points out that the Aria project is not a prototype of any kind. Rather, the new device is a research tool designed to collect data to develop useful compact AR components. The message was recently expressed in a Facebook blog post, which hopes to improve the surround sound experience in AR environments.
Selected Facebook employees will begin testing this new research device on campus and in selected public areas beginning this September.