MetaRay-Bans smart glasses have begun to launch a number of AI functions: taking photos, calculating food calories, identifying plants, translation, etc. The universal glasses that frequently appear in spy movies are gradually becoming a reality. Google Glass is dead and Apple’s headset isn’t on sale yet, but the market for wearable devices is hotter than ever — thanks to AI.
Meta, which had fully bet on the metaverse but failed to succeed, found a new testing ground - AI wearable devices. On December 12, MetaRay-Bans smart glasses, a new product jointly developed by Meta and luxury sunglasses company Ray-Bans, began to launch a number of AI functions: taking photos, counting food calories, identifying plants, translation, etc. The universal glasses that frequently appear in spy movies are gradually becoming a reality.
New function of Meta glasses: voice arousal, cumbersome but novel operation
Judging from the media and Zuckerberg’s trial, the performance of the AI function of MetaRay-Bans smart glasses seems to be pretty good.
Similar to Apple's voice assistant Siri, the AI in the glasses needs to be evoked by the voice command "HeyMeta". MetaCEO Zuckerberg showed a usage video on Instagram.
In the picture, he first picked a shirt from the wardrobe, then shouted "HeyMeta" and asked the AI assistant to tell him the style of pants that could match the shirt.
The AI assistant responded via voice, first correctly describing the shirt as a "dark striped shirt," then suggesting Zuckerberg wear dark-wash jeans or other solid-colored pants.
Zuckerberg also demonstrated the AI assistant's translation capabilities and showed some usage examples through pictures.
In addition, in tests by other media, MetaRay-Bans smart glasses have also demonstrated other interesting functions.
For example, among four tea bags with blackened caffeine content, the glasses could tell the wearer which one may not contain caffeine by reading the label.
The glasses can also identify plants and fruits in sight, and the accuracy seemed to be high during media trials. You can also lay out some ingredients and condiments and let the glasses generate a recipe.
All conversations and photos viewed by the AI are stored in the MetaView mobile app that comes with the glasses.
Some reporters said that although the command "HeyMeta" needs to be shouted frequently, the overall response speed of the glasses is very fast and there are few mistakes. The glasses can be used as a head-mounted Google search engine that can be activated at any time.
Multimodal AI empowers wearable devices
As early as September this year in an interview with the media, Zuckerberg revealed that Meta would launch multi-modal artificial intelligence functions on smart glasses. The so-called multi-modality refers to artificial intelligence that supports multiple forms of media input such as text, images, and voice.
Although these functions are already common in desktop AI software, moving them to glasses still feels quite fresh.
According to reports, Meta also plans to enable glasses to detect sensory data of the human body in the future to further enhance multi-modal capabilities. The Qualcomm AI chip mounted on the glasses seems to be performing well so far, and Meta plans to further optimize the use process in the future.
MetaCTO Andrew Bosworth said in September that due to battery life limitations, smart glasses must now be activated by voice, but future iterations may be equipped with low-power sensors that can intelligently detect scenarios that require the use of AI and activate themselves.
Currently, Meta glasses are on sale for $300. The AI function is in the early testing stage and is only available to some users. However, it is worth pointing out that Meta also stated that it will use anonymous data to help improve the AI services of glasses, which may make many users who are concerned about privacy feel uncomfortable.