- Meta and Stanford University -Scientists have developed new Mr. Glasses
- These specifications use holography to produce high -quality images
- Support rumors that Meta’s headset can turn into slim goggles
Meta’s recently published research gives us a glimpse of its future XR plans, and apparently confirms that it wants to make Ultra-slim XR glasses.
That’s because Meta’s reality laboratories, along with Stanford University, released a paper in Nature Photonics showing a prototype that uses holography and AI to create a super-slim mixed reality headset design.
The optical stack is only 3 mm thick, and unlike other mixed reality -headset, we are used to – as Meta Quest 3 – this design does not put stereoscopic images to create a sense of depth. Instead, it produces holograms that need to look more realistic and be more natural to see.
This means that it is not only thin, but also of high quality essential combination.
Now there is still more work to be done. The prototype shown in the picture above does not look close to being a consumer quality product ready to hit store shelves.
In addition, it does not yet appear to pass what is called the visual Turing test. This would be the point where it is impossible to distinguish between a hologram and a real-world object, although this goal seems to be what reality laboratories and Stanford eventually hope to achieve.
Even with this technology still probably year (maybe even a decade) from making it a gadget you or I could go out and buy, the design of the prototype shows Meta’s desire to produce ultra -thin Mr Tech.
It gives credibility to rumors that Meta’s next VR headset could be a pair of lightweight goggles around a fifth as heavy as 515g Meta Quest 3.
Given that these rumored glasses are assumed to come in the next few years, they are likely to avoid the experimental holography found in Meta and Stanford’s report, but if Meta was looking to trim weight and slim designed further in future iterations, the research it is doing now would be an important first step.
First, I am increasingly excited to see what XR Tech Meta is cooking.
It’s Ray-Ban, and now Oakley, glasses have shown the wild popularity that XR wearables can achieve if they find the sweet place with comfort, tool and price, with the first factor that seems to be the most important.
Meta’s second recent examination of VR on the software side also emphasizes that a lighter headset would remove friction by keeping people immersed for hours.
This can lead to more meaningful productivity applications, but also more immersive and expansive gaming experiences, and other use cases I am happy to see and try when the time is right.
For the time being, I am happy with my Meta Quest 3, but I cannot deny it now looks a bit like a stone next to this 3 mm-thick prototype design.
