Meta reveals new Aria Gen 2 smart glasses with heart rate tracking

Meta has announced the Aria Gen 2 displayless smart glasses. This is the latest wearable to come from the company's AR and AI research program, Project Aria, which launched in 2020. As such, this new model will only be available for research partners and will not go on general sale.

According to Meta, the Aria Gen 2 glasses have an enhanced understanding of human perspective and can acknowledge the context of the wearer's environment. For example, eye tracking and hand tracking can be used to determine exactly what the user is doing. Compared to the Aria Gen 1, there is an upgrade for the sensor suite, which includes an RGB camera, 6DOF SLAM camera, eye-tracking cameras, spatial microphones, IMUs, barometer, magnetometer, and GNSS. 

There is a new PPG sensor to track the user's heart rate, and a contact microphone enables the glasses to determine whether the wearer is speaking or if it is a passerby. The Aria Gen 2 also has the ability to process signals on the device in real-time and can determine your location indoors and outdoors. Plus, there are integrated open-ear force-cancelling speakers for audio. On top of this, the battery capacity has been increased by 40%, allowing for six to eight hours of continuous use. Despite this improvement, there is no impact on the weight of the wearable, coming in at around 75g, and the product has the same foldable arms.

Applications for the Aria Gen 2 glasses include improved accessibility for individuals with blindness or vision impairment. The company Envision is working to combine its Ally AI assistant with the wearable. In a promotional video (below), this technology is seen in action in a grocery store, where a shopper is guided to find the exact location of red onions. It is unclear when such technology will be widely available. If you are looking to buy smart glasses for leisure use, you could consider the Ray-Ban Meta Glasses (Regular Black Wayfarer, curr. $299 at Amazon).