Today, we’re excited to unveil Project Aria — a new research project that will help us build the first generation of wearable augmented reality devices.  

A Spectacular Challenge

Imagine a pair of glasses that add a 3D layer of useful, contextually relevant and meaningful information on top of the physical world. Such a device could help us perform everyday tasks better — like finding your keys, navigating a new city, or capturing a moment; but it could also open up an entirely new way of moving through the world. Smartphones are amazing devices, and they’re getting better all the time. But at Facebook Reality Labs, we’re envisioning a time when we have all the benefits of connectivity (and more), without the need to keep our heads and our eyes down, looking at a device. Imagine calling a friend and chatting with their lifelike avatar across the table. Imagine a digital assistant smart enough to detect road hazards, offer up stats during a business meeting, or even help you hear better in a noisy environment. This is a world where the device itself disappears entirely into the ebb and flow of everyday life.

Of course, a lot of this is still the domain of science fiction. To actually build glasses flexible enough to work for most face shapes and sizes, and create the software to support them, we still need several generations of breakthroughs, like systems to enhance audio and visual input, contextualized AI, and a lightweight frame to house it all. This kind of AR requires a foundational shift in computing technology that mirrors the leap from libraries and landlines to personal computers and smartphones.

Read the rest on tech.facebook.com.