The Ray-Ban Display Meta are made in collaboration with Essilorluxottica and work with electromyographic technology. The wearer can see the translation of what he feels around
If the thumb presses on the tip of the middle finger twice, the screen appears in front of the eyes. There are the icons of the apps, which are sailing by moving the thumb on the hand positioned in hand to the right and left. Let’s start a song: the hand turns the knob of an imaginary radio and the volume rises and lowers. THE Meta Ray-Ban Display bring two innovations that make a huge step forward to the sector of smart glassthose glasses enriched with cameras, speakers, microphones and software. From the first model that Meta developed in collaboration with EssilorLuxotticathe Ray-Ban Stories released in 2023, the evolution is running fast. And now, with the device that Mark Zuckerberg He presented from the stage of his headquarters, in Menlo Park, during the last Italian night, can finally start talking about augmented reality.
Electromic technology
Table of Contents
These glasses resemble the Ray-Ban classics, with a thicker frame To welcome the technical components necessary to make a Small display integrated in the right lens. Nobody can see it, except who wears them. To check the digital elements that are projected in our eye there is a braceletil Meta Neural Band. Discreet, in fabric and light, hides the electromyographic technology (EMG) that detects the impulses that we send to the brain and transforms Each movement of the forearm, hand or fingers in commands. «It looks like a science fiction thing, which has been torn from the future and brought in the present. A big technological leap forward », summarizes Chris CoxChief Product Officer of Meta. Over time – they have been working on it for ten years – the challenges to be resolved have been many: “The glass mirrors inserted in the lens, which ensure that the user can see the screen without anyone else being able to see it, was a very complex problem, both in terms of design and production. The battery is another important element: we have studied for a long time how to better dispel the heat ».
When they arrive in Italy and how much they cost
In front of a small group of journalists, it illustrates not only the technical innovations of this product, which will be released in the United States on September 30 at a price of 799 dollars and will arrive in Italy and Europe at the beginning of next year, but also and above all those of the software: “After having tried it for a long time, I would say that the most incredible thing is to be able to see and respond quickly to messages without having to bring out the phone. It is done by whispering what you want to say, but you can also use hand writing, writing it on one knee or table ».
Translations from the world around us
But perhaps, if we talk about the most useful features in everyday life, we must open theApp dedicated to translation. “Now it is possible subtitle the world around us. You can imagine the usefulness of this function if you find yourself in a country that you don’t talk about the language. It’s like watching a movie, but with real -time subtitles », adds Cox. Who also has the possible in mind Doubts about privacy That such an object brings with it: «I have the feeling that it will be the same path we did with smartphones: today it is clear that people bring cameras with them. There are social rules and expectations on when it is appropriate and not appropriate to use the phone. It will be the same with the glasses ». That not only can they immortalize the world, but will also be able to use the inormations that they collect to help destination aiartificial intelligence integrated into the device, to answer our questions. «It will be a bit like having a notes that allows you to quickly look at the information you are looking for. We have seen that in the field of information technology the trend is towards more natural interfaces. The phone is only an evolution of what was on our desktop and what were once giant boxes in the basements. So it is almost as if the evolution was more oriented towards the way we interact with the world, that is, the gaze, the voice, directly the ears and gestures. And we believe that the more natural the device, the better it will be from an ergonomic point of view and the overall experience », adds Cox.
Speaking of the interface, Eye Tracking was also taken into consideration as well as the gestures of the hand. But the tracking of the movements of the eye was not, in fact, quite natural: «Getting the right EMG technology was a long journey to get to a satisfactory precision. The neural band destination is comfortable to wear, light. These are the design criteria: to be able to wear it all day and control it with small gestures of the fingers, just as it would be done with a mouse ».
The Smart Glasses Market
In the smart glasses market, to date, the alliance between Meta and Essilorluxottica has no rivals. The relaunch is continuous, not only in terms of technological advances but also of enrichment of the line of models. In addition to Ray-Ben Meat – Only in 2024 a million units were sold – there are two alternatives that borrow the aesthetics of another historical brand, Oakley, and are designed for sportsmen. «We work closely – continues Cox – it is essential to have such a talented and excellent partner in the production of glasses. On the Ray-Ban Display destination we had several exchanges of opinions on design. We will continue to collaborate ». Francesco Milleri, CEO of Essilorluxottica, also confirmed it: “The latter innovation opens new horizons and shows off the best of our two companies in terms of lenses and competence technology in the design of wearable devices”.
