Meta offers glimpse of smart glasses controlled by the mind
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook parent company Meta, offered a glimpse of a smart glasses project being developed with Franco-Italian business EssilorLuxottica.
Mr Zuckerberg posted a picture on Facebook of the eyewear company’s chairman Leonardo Del Vecchio wearing a prototype of a neural interface wristband that can be used to control other smart devices.
“Great to be back in Milan to discuss plans for new smart glasses with Leonardo Del Vecchio and the EssilorLuxottica team,” he wrote on the social media platform.
“Here Leonardo is using a prototype of our neural interface EMG wristband that will eventually let you control your glasses and other devices.”
Mr Zuckerberg ended his post with a smiley-face emoji wearing sunglasses.
Meta is working on an EMG – electromyography – wristband technology.
It uses sensors to translate electrical motor nerve signals, which travel through the wrist to the hand, into digital commands that allow users to control how a device functions.
“These signals let you communicate crisp, one-bit commands to your device, a degree of control that is highly personalisable and adaptable to many situations,” the Facebook parent company said in a previous post.
EMG is a technique that evaluates how muscles and nerves work.
The smart glasses industry is booming. Revenue from the sale of smart glasses is expected to reach $4.5 billion by 2025 and $30.1bn by 2030, according to consultancy ImmersivEdge Advisers.
The consultancy predicts that smart glasses will replace smartphones as everyday electronic assistants for millions of people by 2030.
Competition is also rife in this area, with big technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Snapchat venturing into smart glass production.
Even Apple and Samsung are rumoured to be working on their own versions.
Last September, Meta joined forces with EssilorLuxottica, best known for its RayBan brand, to launch its first smart glasses in the market.
Called Ray-Ban Stories, the new smart glasses let users capture photos, record videos, listen to music and podcasts, and take phone calls without the need to take out their smartphone from their pockets or handbags.