Meta has unveiled more details about Aria Gen 2, its latest experimental smart glasses designed for research in augmented reality, AI, and robotics.
The Aria Gen 2 glasses include major upgrades over the first version launched in 2020. They now feature advanced eye tracking that can follow gaze per eye, detect blinks, and estimate the center of a pupil.
Meta says this helps researchers better understand what users are looking at and how they interact with their environment.
The glasses also come with four computer vision cameras that allow 3D hand and object tracking, useful for tasks like robotic hand control.
Another new feature is a photoplethysmography sensor in the nosepad, which can estimate the wearer’s heart rate. This could help researchers study how physical responses change during different tasks.
Meta also added a contact microphone for clearer sound in noisy places and a new ambient light sensor to detect indoor vs. outdoor lighting.
Aria Gen 2 is Meta’s first smart glasses with foldable arms, and it comes in eight sizes, weighing about 75 grams. These glasses are for research only, but Meta says they will help shape future consumer products.
Applications for researchers to use Aria Gen 2 will open later this year. Meta is also working on other smart eyewear projects, including its Ray-Ban smart glasses, upcoming Orion AR glasses, and a rumored “Hypernova” pair with a built-in screen.
