(Web Desk) - Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are finally getting AI features like image recognition and text translation, which promise to make them more than just a wearable camera.
Features like these played a big role in the original Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses pitch from 2021.
That device's five-megapixel cameras paired with built-in microphones could be used to snap photos or record video at a moment's notice. But as convenient as the original Ray-Ban Stories were, they were far from smart.
Although Meta is probably now best known for betting the farm on the 'metaverse' with virtual reality and augmented reality headsets like the Meta Quest 3, those devices aren't really something users can wear all day long.
The second generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are.
Currently only available to a small number of users in the US who opt into an "Early Access Program," users of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses can now call on Meta AI to assist them with a variety of tasks.
In a recent Instagram post, Mark Zuckerberg demonstrated the glasses' new capabilities by asking Meta AI to recommend a pair of pants to pair with a striped shirt, as well as asking the AI to translate the text of a foreign language meme into English.
The only input he needed to make, aside from his prompts, was to simply point the glasses at the shirt and the meme.
In an update to a Dec. 6 blog post about Meta's AI initiatives, the company also suggests using the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to suggest captions for a photo, or to simply identify an object in hand.
CNET's Scott Stein recently had a demonstration of the new functionality at Meta's New York offices, where the smart glasses were used to recommend which of a small selection of tea bags would likely be caffeine-free.
Unlike the smart glasses worn by fictional movie characters such as Tony Stark, which are constantly analyzing the wearer's surroundings, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses' added smarts are only activated when the user says "hey, Meta."
The glasses also need to first snap a photo of an object or a sign before Meta AI can process them and provide an audible response.
The system is no J.A.R.V.I.S. yet (Stark's smart assistant) but the Ray-Ban Meta glasses finally seem to be living up to their smart claims.