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Tech giant Meta on Friday announced it is partnering with Oakley to launch new performance glasses powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Meta and Oakley are developing a new category of sports performance AI glasses called Oakley Meta glasses, which combines Oakley’s design with Meta’s technology to give people wearing the glasses more insight into their physical capabilities. The move follows their collaboration on the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, as Oakley and Ray-Ban are brands within EssilorLuxottica.
The two companies are launching the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses as the first product in the new category. The Oakley Meta glasses allow the wearer to capture video and images with a built-in camera and also have open-ear speakers integrated into the frame to allow the wearer to listen to content while they are engaging in their favorite activities.
Alex Himel, vice president of wearables at Meta, told FOX Business Network’s Madison Alworth in an interview that the new category of glasses will “address some of the asks that we’ve seen from the people who are using our Ray-Ban Meta glasses.”
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Oakley and Meta unveiled the new Oakley Meta HSTN AI-powered glasses. (Courtesy of Meta)
“The image quality is higher, so we’re now offering 3K video, which we’re pretty excited about. The battery lasts longer – that’s one of our top complaints, no matter how long the battery lasts, people always want it to last longer and so we are delivering some pretty substantial improvements on that,” Himel explained. “And then we’ll continue to add more software functionality.”
Among the new features in the Oakley Meta glasses are longer battery life, which the company’s announcement said can last up to eight hours during typical use or 19 hours when on standby – a jump from about four hours of typical use with the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. They can also charge up to 40% in 20 minutes, while a charging case can also deliver up to 48 hours of charging.
The Oakley Meta HSTN glasses also have a higher resolution camera and an IPX4 water resistance rating. There will be five product options for the Oakley Meta HSTN glasses, two of which offer transition lenses.
The Oakley Meta HSTN glasses are designed for performance use cases. (Courtesy of Meta)
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Himel said that the experience of Ray-Ban Meta glasses has shown use cases for AI glasses on performance use cases, such as people on roller coasters when they do not want to hold something in their hands, as well as running and other situations when people want their hands free and head up.
“We’ve seen the performance use cases. A number of our more senior people at the company are also just very into performance activities, and so we’re excited about what we’ll be able to do with Oakley Meta glasses and how we’ll be able to take them into the field with us,” he said.
Oakley Meta HSTN glasses have longer battery life than the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. (Courtesy of Meta / Fox News)
Himel also discussed the evolution of wearable AI glasses since the initial launch, which has been aided by rapid advances in AI technology.
“I think the thing that we’re most excited about right now is the trajectory of the glasses,” Himel said. “We previously thought that we wouldn’t be able to hit large-scale adoption until we had true augmented reality, until we had a large display that was able to overlay content on what you’re looking at in the physical world.”
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Oakley Meta HSTN glasses have an IPX4 water resistance rating. (Courtesy of Meta / Fox News)
He added that it is important for AI wearable technology to be something that a person would want to wear throughout the day.
“One of the things that we’re really excited about with the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses and now the Oakley Meta glasses is they’re just a good-looking pair of glasses that are comfortable and also functional. If you’re outside, they’re sunglasses, or if you wear prescription glasses, they provide that,” Himel said.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| META | META PLATFORMS INC. | 695.77 | -1.46 | -0.21% |
Meta’s work on AI-powered glasses has led the company to believe that “glasses are the ultimate form factor for AI,” and Himel recounted how, during the development of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the company initially intended the glasses to just be focused on use cases related to audio and video.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg reached out to Himel about six months before the launch of the glasses to ask if the glasses could serve as a platform for AI technology. Within days, the company allocated hundreds of engineers to incorporate AI features into the glasses.
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The Limited Edition Oakley Meta HSTN model will be available for preorder starting on July 11 for $499, while the rest of the Oakley Meta collection will be rolled out this summer at a starting price of $399.
The launch date for the Oakley Meta HSTN of July 11 also marks the 50th anniversary of the Oakley brand.