Key facts
- Meta is reportedly developing a camera-free smart glasses model, code-named Luna, with a potential release as soon as October.
- The Luna glasses would feature six built-in microphones for interaction with Meta AI and the Muse agent, replacing the camera.
- This camera-free design aims to address privacy concerns and negative public perception surrounding Meta's current camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses.
- Meta's current Ray-Ban smart glasses have faced lawsuits, government investigations, and warnings from law enforcement due to potential misuse for secret filming.
Meta is reportedly developing a camera-free version of its AI-powered smart glasses, internally code-named Luna, with a potential release as soon as October. This move aims to address significant privacy concerns and negative public perception that have surrounded its camera-equipped Ray-Ban smart glasses.
The new model would swap the camera for six built-in microphones, allowing users to interact with Meta AI and the company's new Muse personal AI agent. The glasses are also said to feature a side button for on-demand AI activation and slimmer temples compared to current models. Meta could potentially unveil Luna at its Connect developer conference in September.
Meta's current Ray-Ban smart glasses have faced considerable backlash, including lawsuits, government probes, and internal memos from law enforcement agencies like the NYPD and Homeland Security warning of their potential for secret filming. The glasses have been nicknamed "pervert glasses" online due to these privacy issues.
A camera-free design would sidestep the controversy of covert recording but would also eliminate the point-of-view photo and video capabilities that have been a key feature of the current Ray-Ban models. Amazon previously released camera-free smart glasses called Echo Frames, which integrated with Alexa but did not achieve widespread recognition.