Meta has announced the acquisition of Dutch startup Luxexcel, which specializes in 3D printing of glasses. With this technology, the American giant hopes to develop new glasses integrating numerous components, starting with a mini-screen capable of projecting images and information in augmented reality.

For several years, Luxexcel has been using 3D printing to manufacture corrective lenses for glasses. More recently, the company has taken a turn further towards the world of high-tech by working on the integration of chips and screens inside the lenses. Meta's acquisition of this company should help the social giant progress with one of its most ambitious projects, which concerns the development of augmented reality glasses, code name Aria.

Even though its virtual and augmented reality unit lost more than US$9bil in 2022, the metaverse remains at the heart of Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's strategy. Through genuine connected eyeglasses with integrated screens, the American company could finally feature a product that offers a truly unique augmented reality experience.

For the moment, Meta's productions in terms of glasses haven't really taken off. In 2021, in collaboration with the famous glasses manufacturer, Meta launched Ray-Ban Stories, capable of taking photos and videos, but also of making calls and sending messages. In short, not bringing much more in terms of functionalities than Snap's Spectacles.

Don't forget that Meta (at the time still under the name of Facebook) became a serious player in the world of virtual reality by offering a catalog of dedicated high-performance headsets after acquiring Oculus and all its dedicated technology in 2014.

At a time when the metaverse figures in tech companies' strategic plans, even Google is working on new connected glasses, more than ten years after the failure of Glass.

 - AFP Relaxnews