Meta announces Aria Gen 2, its next-gen AR and AI research glasses
Meta has announced Aria Gen 2, the second generation of its sensor-equipped research glasses.
The first generation of the glasses was launched in 2020. Equipped with numerous sensors but no display, the glasses were neither a prototype nor a commercial product, and were intended solely for research purposes.
With Project Aria, Meta wanted to find out what data future AR glasses would need to collect about the environment in order to perform useful functions. Meta also used the glasses to collect egocentric data (information from the perspective of a human subject) to train an AI that would one day be able to understand the environment and provide context-sensitive assistance to wearers in their everyday lives.
Project Aria did not have a display, and the same goes for the second generation of glasses announced yesterday, which Meta calls Aria Gen 2.
Meta lists several features that differentiate Aria Gen 2 from Aria Gen 1:
- State-of-the-art sensor suite: The upgraded sensor suite features an RGB camera, 6DOF SLAM cameras, eye tracking cameras, spatial microphones, IMUs, barometer, magnetometer, and GNSS (satellite navigation). Compared to its predecessor, Aria Gen 1, the new generation introduces two innovative sensors embedded in the nosepad: a PPG sensor for measuring heart rate and a contact microphone to distinguish the wearer’s voice from that of bystanders.
- Ultra low-power and on-device machine perception: SLAM, eye tracking, hand tracking, and speech recognition are all processed on-device using Meta’s custom silicon.
- All-day usability: Aria Gen 2 glasses are capable of six to eight hours of continuous use, weigh about 75 grams, and have foldable arms for easy portability.
- Interaction through audio: Users get audio feedback via best-in-class open-ear force-canceling speakers, enabling user-in-the-loop system prototyping.
The glasses will be used by Meta over the next few years to advance its "long-term research vision". Meta also plans to make the glasses available to academic and commercial research labs, just as it did with the previous generation. Examples of research projects made possible by Aria Gen 1 can be found in the announcement on Meta's blog.
Meta will announce when Aria Gen 2 will be available to partners in the coming months. Researchers can register their interest using an online form.
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