It's been close to a year since Facebook first announced Project Aria, a research effort to test smart glasses with a small group of employees. The idea behind the project was to have employees use these devices in the wild and collect a bunch of data to help the company figure out what kind of sensors it needs to add to future devices, executives said at the time.
There haven't been many public updates on the project in recent months, aside from a redacted FCC filing for the Project Aria glasses earlier this year. Now, we are getting a first look at how the Project Aria device actually works, thanks to newly published regulatory documents that include the device user manual.
- Project Aria's hardware is known as Gemini. The device is being called "Gemini EVT," with EVT (engineering valuation test) being a common acronym in the hardware industry for small product test runs of a few dozen units, meant to test both the design and functionality of a product before it is put into actual production.
- There is no visual AR component. The filing confirmed what Facebook executives have been telling us for some time: Project Aria is all about collecting data, not displaying it. In addition to camera sensors, the manual also mentions a proximity sensor on the inner temple.
- Gemini Glasses are available with prescription lenses. "If your glasses have prescription lenses, they are intended only for use by the prescribed user," the user manual warns. "The Glasses are not intended for users whose vision cannot be corrected with standard corrective lenses."
- There's a mobile companion app called Ariane that can be used to set up the device, connect it to a Wi-Fi network, check its battery status and upload collected sensor data. There's also mention of alerts through the mobile app, but it's unclear what these alerts may look like. The manual shows an iOS version of Ariane, and there's no word on whether Facebook has been testing the glasses with an Android companion app as well.
- The glasses are equipped with four cameras, capable of recording both photos and videos. Photos of the individual device components show that Facebook used the same camera sensors as those that power the Oculus Quest 2. Videos are being recorded in the VRS file format, which contains captures of all four camera streams simultaneously.
- The hardware interface is fairly pared-down. There's a shutter button, a power button and a mute switch, which "toggles privacy mode on/off," according to the manual. It also has multiple LEDs to signal recording both to the wearer as well as any bystanders.
- Gemini glasses are using a Qualcomm chipset, and run a customized version of Android that is being called Oculus OS. The USB charging cable, which attaches to the glasses via a magnetic port, is also being used for Android ADB functionality.
Project Aria's Gemini glasses are clearly still an experimental device, and not meant for consumer use. However, the existence of a privacy mode, a relatively simple UI and the companion mobile app are all things that may find their way into future consumer products, including the smart glasses that Facebook is building in partnership with Ray-Ban.
The biggest surprise is perhaps that Facebook used the Quest's camera sensors for these glasses. This could have been a choice of convenience, as the company has experience with these cameras, and may have been able to use a lot of the data it has gained from developing the Quest to get Project Aria off the ground. However, using four of these sensors could also be a sign that Facebook is already testing visual SLAM for future device iterations that will enable full 3D AR experiences.
