It was the surprise of Meta Connect 2024 last September. The Apple Vision Pro had already been available since the beginning of 2024 and as we could see, Apple's VR headset was struggling to convince not only the press, but also end users. It was therefore quite daring for Meta to present Project Orion, Augmented Reality glasses that took what Apple's headset offered, but all in a simple pair of glasses.
So yes, these are not the thinnest glasses we have seen, but the concentration of integrated technologies was most impressive, especially when you know how much Meta is ready to spend to offer the future technological breakthrough. So it was with a Mark Zuckerberg in great shape that we were able to discover Project Orion. Following Meta Connect 2024, only journalists on site were able to try out Project Orion, which remained at the concept and/or prototype stage. Nearly 9 months later, Project Orion was finally able to cross the Atlantic, and it was the turn of the European press to discover the new Meta concept. For the occasion, we were among the lucky ones to be able to go to London to discover and test the Orion Project.
What is Meta Orion?
If you've never heard of the Orion Project, well, it's very simple. The first time you discover the project, it's purely and simply a pair of glasses. So yes, the frame is much thicker compared to a classic frame but it's still a pair of glasses. But as you will have understood, it's not a simple pair of glasses since they are Augmented Reality glasses. These are still only prototypes and the commercial models will not arrive before 2030 according to Meta. You should know that for Meta, each prototype is currently 10,000 dollars so we will wait for a more general price before launching it. Obviously, Meta are not the first and others have already ventured there. Examples include Snap's Spectacles, Google's Android XR, and cinema glasses like those from XReal.
The glasses themselves
Compared to some competitors already on the market, Project Orion is somewhat different. If we take the example of XReal glasses for example, they are only glasses that function as an external screen, so you need a source of data and calculation (your smartphone or your computer) and above all, XReal glasses use MicroOLED screens that are visible to the user via a mirror system. The advantage is that the image is convincing but we end up with a frame that is not only thick, but with lenses that are quite far from the eyes. On the Orion Project, we do not have glass strictly speaking but lenses made of silicon carbide, a kind of ultra-refractory ceramic.
These lenses are coupled with screens that are also MicroOLED which are reflected on the silicon carbide lenses (be careful, it is not glass, it is just an abuse of language to simplify understanding). The advantage of such technology is that it takes up less space and we end up wearing the Orion glasses like a real pair of glasses, there is no lag or anything, it is glued to our eyes like a normal pair of glasses. It is impressive.
A project in three devices
And while XReal's glasses depend on an external source, Project Orion can be summed up as a standalone pair of glasses with its own operating system. But that would be too simple since Project Orion is made up of three devices to function. We obviously have the glasses, but to avoid having the computer side in the glasses, otherwise the glasses would turn into a headset like the Apple Vision Pro, Meta chose to transfer all the computing power and the operating system to an external box that communicates wirelessly. We weren't given the technology behind it, but we didn't notice any latency or anything else during our tests. Another advantage of such a choice is that it's the box that heats up, not the glasses, which could have been uncomfortable on the face if the glasses started to heat up.
But that's not all. While the glasses themselves feature no fewer than seven cameras and sensors to understand the external environment, as well as the user's arms and hands, much like the Apple Vision Pro, the complete Project Orion kit includes a third device. This is a wristband that will accurately recognize what the user's hand is doing. Of course, Meta could have done as on the Quest headsets and used the cameras to recognize the hand and possibly finger movements, but it wasn't precise enough. Indeed, while it's fairly easy to track hand movements and recognize the famous "Pinch to Validate" gesture, Project Orion is somewhat more ambitious. So you can pinch with your index finger to confirm, pinch with your middle finger to return to the home menu (we save on gestures, right Apple?) but you can also scroll by closing your hand and using your thumb as if you had a scroll wheel in your hand.
We obviously tried all of this and it was amazingly responsive. So how does it work? It's precisely thanks to the bracelet which integrates EMG (Electromyogram) technology and which allows the electrical activity of the muscles to be recorded. As a result, the bracelet is able to understand when you use your index finger, your middle finger, your thumb, or any combination. It's really surprising at first, but after 30 seconds of explanation, everything was integrated. In addition to that, Meta has integrated haptic feedback, which allows you to have feedback on your actions. Practical.
Meta would have Vision
We now know that the bracelet brings much more than expected and it is a real innovation, but as we already know, nothing replaces sight to control and navigate in a spatial interface. Also, there are sensors inside the glasses that allow the user's eyes to be tracked. When you wear the glasses for the first time, you go through a configuration phase like on the Apple Vision Pro. Points appear and you have to look at them and then validate them. Not being a daily user of the Apple Vision Pro (like 100% of owners, we're sure), it took a little getting used to (another 30 seconds) but once back in the spatial computing bath, it's super instinctive. You move from one window to the other without any problems.
According to Meta, the Orion Project offers a 70° viewing angle. So it's a bit narrow, but for the American manufacturer, it allows you to continue to have a correct view of the outside world. Yes, because we remind you, the difference with a simple Virtual Reality headset like the Apple Vision Pro is that we are in the presence of Augmented Reality glasses. Meta's AR operating system overlays reality!
Spatial computing
As we've said several times above, Meta's Project Orion glasses are, to put it simply, a computer shaped like a pair of glasses, and therefore on the tip of your nose. Meta offers a dedicated operating system that can manage up to three windows and launch its applications. Unsurprisingly, we find applications like WhatsApp, Instagram, and even a web browser. The operating system is very similar to what we know, with a cross at the top of the launched application that allows us to close the application, a grid of applications on the home page, and a bar at the bottom of the display that allows not only to return to the home page but also to move windows. Yes, it's very similar to what we know on Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro. For example, you can also dock application windows in your space and rotate around them. Then, all you need to do is pinch with your middle finger to bring the application windows back in front of you. Practical.
We were even able to try a video chat application via Messenger. While we could see our correspondent clearly, they couldn't see us since there are no avatars to date, and since we wear the Orion Project on our noses, it's impossible to film ourselves. But that's not all, because Meta is also Meta AI and a strong inspiration from what we know with the Ray-Ban Meta. Thus, by closing your hand and pressing twice with your thumb, you can launch Meta AI and ask it any question. Thus, we were in front of different ingredients and we were able to ask Meta AI to suggest a recipe based on these ingredients. If we had been wearing the Ray-Ban Meta, we would have had a dictation and we would have quickly been lost. The advantage of the Orion Project and therefore of the Augmented Reality glasses is that Orion was able to display what it recognized and, above all, on a new window, the recipe it found. So, if we're in a kitchen, this allows us to cook with all the information constantly in front of us. No need to go back to a tablet or smartphone that may have gone to sleep in the meantime.
And finally, we were even able to test an Augmented Reality game, a sort of 3D Pong. The goal was to test the real-time recognition of our hand movements and, unsurprisingly, it works very well. Unfortunately, we lost to the person who gave me the demo. We were embarrassed, sorry.
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