Meta Orion: AR glasses between genius and megalomania

Meta's Orion AR glasses are a crazy piece of technology that took ten years to develop and cost billions. A closer look reveals why.

A huge amount of technology in a very small space: Meta's Orion prototype with transparent plastic frame.

(Image: Meta)

Aug 24, 2025 at 7:54 am CEST

13 min. read

By

Tomislav Bezmalinović

After almost ten years of research and development, Meta presented the first product prototype of fully-fledged AR glasses last fall: the wearable, called Orion, weighs 98 grams and for the first time combines a wide field of vision of around 70 degrees with a form factor that is almost the same as conventional glasses.

A technical breakthrough that was expensive: the AR glasses project is considered the most expensive single project of Metaverse's Reality Labs division, which manufactures VR headsets and AI glasses and in which Meta has invested almost 80 billion US dollars since the end of 2020 alone. Against this backdrop, Orion can be considered a moonshot project of exceptional magnitude.

Hardly any other device demonstrates the complexity of developing AR glasses suitable for everyday use as clearly as Orion and the numerous technical solutions that Meta had to develop and invent for it. In this article, we take a look at some of the most fascinating aspects of Orion, Meta's plans for the prototype and what might come after Orion.

Meta Orion consists of three components: the AR glasses, an external pocket computer and a sEMG wristband that translates electrical muscle signals into computer input. The wristband is not covered here, as we have already devoted a separate article to it.

Meta grows crystals for the AR display

Developing the display was by far the biggest challenge for Meta. After intensive research, Meta decided to manufacture the lenses from silicon carbide (SiC) instead of the usual glass. The material is transparent in its purest form and has a 50 percent higher refractive index than glass, which enables a field of view of 70 degrees with just one optical plate.

The complex production and processing of optical silicon carbide make the display by far the most expensive component: it accounts for around 90 percent of the manufacturing costs, which are around 10,000 US dollars per device. The material, which is primarily used in electric vehicles, is grown under controlled conditions in the form of single crystals. As silicon carbide is one of the hardest known materials, diamond tools are required to cut and polish the SiC wafers. As if that were not enough, the yield of usable wafers is very low.

One hand holds a thin, transparent silicon carbide lens. — Optical silicon carbide.

(Image: Meta)

Meta applied a new etching technique to the silicon carbide to produce the waveguides, i.e. the nanostructures in the lenses that absorb the light from the projectors and direct it into the eye. Together with partners, the company also developed the necessary tools and processes for the industrial production of SiC waveguides.

In addition to its high refractive index, silicon carbide offers a number of other advantages: It reduces the scattered light effects that are so prominent in AR devices, has a high thermal conductivity and is lighter than two or more sheets of glass, which would be necessary for a comparably large field of view.

Meta is now hoping that other companies will jump on the bandwagon and also invest in the production of optical silicon carbide in order to reduce costs. At the same time, the Group is researching alternative materials with comparable optical properties that are easier to manufacture.

Mini projectors with enormous luminance

For the light source, Meta is relying on MicroLEDs, a relatively new type of display that is characterized by its high luminance and energy efficiency. Both are crucial for AR glasses, as their displays have to withstand sunlight outdoors, but at the same time have little room for maneuver in terms of power consumption and waste heat.

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Orion's MicroLED projectors achieve a luminance of several hundred thousand nits in a tiny form factor. However, due to the optical properties of the AR glasses, only around 300 to 400 nits reach the eye. Whether the display is also visible outdoors remains unclear: Meta has so far only demonstrated the AR glasses indoors. The projectors are Orion's most energy-intensive component and a key reason why the battery life of the AR glasses is currently limited to around two hours.

The production of MicroLEDs is extremely complex and expensive, which has so far stood in the way of a broad market launch. Meta has built up its own production capacities specifically for Orion, which could prove to be a competitive advantage in the long term.

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The glasses frame serves as a heat sink

Another major challenge was to cool the AR glasses efficiently. Two high-intensity projectors, seven cameras and sensors as well as several chips work in Orion in a very small space. They generate considerable heat, which is noticeable on the face and skin if the cooling system is inadequate and causes the AR glasses to overheat.

A man with Orion AR glasses in front of a blue background. — Despite technical breakthroughs, Orion is still a long way from slim everyday glasses.

(Image: Meta)

An active cooling system was out of the question for reasons of space and weight. Meta's solution was to manufacture the glasses frame from magnesium and use it as a passive heat sink. Magnesium is known for its high thermal conductivity and robustness as well as its low weight. Properties that also make it indispensable in Formula 1 racing cars and satellites.

A comparison with a transparent version of the AR glasses with a plastic frame shows how effective this decision was: They overheat after 30 minutes of use.

The display adapts to temperature fluctuations

For a clear image, the optical elements must be aligned with an accuracy of up to a tenth of the width of a human hair. The particularly torsion-resistant magnesium helps to ensure this stability in the long term.

Nevertheless, minimal deformations can occur due to temperature fluctuations, for example. According to Meta, the AR glasses detect even the smallest changes, such as the expansion or contraction of the frame as room temperatures rise and fall, and digitally correct the optical alignment.

More than ten customized chips

Passive cooling alone would not be sufficient if the chips generated too much heat. Meta therefore developed tailor-made chips especially for Orion, which are optimized for high energy efficiency.

Among other things, the chips take care of room, hand and eye tracking. Meta succeeded in reducing their energy requirements from several hundred to a few dozen milliwatts, a fraction of what a VR headset such as the Quest 3 requires for comparable tasks. This also results in considerably less waste heat.

A man with various bulky AR headset prototypes. — Orion's beginnings: Meta tested various AR displays with prototypes like these.

(Image: Meta)

This was made possible by mutual optimization of hardware and software, whereby neither the chip architecture nor the algorithms were fixed from the outset. "We built the ship while it was leaving port," says Meta.

Developing customized chips is an enormous effort, but it could prove to be an important advantage. After all, Meta not only designs and controls the hardware and software integration, but also the chip architecture of its AR glasses, similar to what Apple does with its products.

An (almost) invisible eye-tracking system

Orion can be controlled in various ways: via sEMG wristband, hand tracking, voice control and, last but not least, by eye tracking.

With Orion, Meta has introduced a new eye-tracking system: The infrared light emitters for illuminating the pupils are integrated directly into the lenses instead of the spectacle frame, where they appear as barely visible, irregular lines. Their organically curved shape serves as optical camouflage.

Close-up of an Orion lens with thin, irregular lines. — The irregular lines are IR light emitters for eye tracking.

(Image: Meta)

The sensors are located on the inside of the temples, invisible to the eye, and are directed towards the lenses. Eye tracking should be realized by reflecting the pupil movement in the lenses.

A wireless pocket computer with its own radio protocol

Not all calculations are carried out locally on the AR glasses: an external pocket computer, which Meta calls the "Compute Puck", takes over computationally intensive processes. Without it, Orion's low weight and slim form factor would not be possible.

The puck is more compact than a smartphone, but significantly more powerful: a high-end SoC and an AI coprocessor from Meta jointly handle the calculations for apps, graphics and AI functions.

The connection to the AR glasses is wireless via a wireless protocol developed by Meta based on Wi-Fi 6. Although the Magic Leap AR headset also uses a compute puck, it is wired. In order to minimize energy consumption and heat development on the glasses, the data is not transmitted to Orion continuously, but in bursts. The apps are also adapted to this transmission principle.

A man slips the Orion Compute Puck into his trouser pocket. — The Compute Puck fits in your pocket.

(Image: Meta)

The Compute Puck does not require a direct line of sight to the glasses and can therefore be carried in a trouser pocket or handbag. The connection remains stable even at a distance of several meters.

Meta has since investigated whether the puck could also be used as a haptic controller for AR games or as a tracking camera. These ideas were rejected for the time being. Currently, the Compute Puck only provides the wireless connectivity, computing power and energy supply for Orion.

Speaking of computing power: according to Meta's CTO, Orion's performance is around ten times lower than that of the Meta Quest. It is not known why this is the case. Possible reasons could be data limits of the wireless protocol or the need to keep the compute puck cool. In any case, graphically elaborate 3D games are not to be expected.

What is Meta trying to achieve with Orion?

Because Orion is still very complex and expensive to manufacture, Meta is not planning to commercialize it.

There are several reasons why Meta is nevertheless presenting the AR glasses to the public: Firstly, Meta wants to show investors that a tangible product is within reach. Secondly, the prototype serves as a showcase for Meta's technological ambitions, which should attract research talent. Meta is also likely to want to send a signal to competitors such as Google and Apple to encourage new investment in AR technology. After all, key technologies such as silicon carbide waveguides and MicroLEDs can only be made affordable in the long term through joint efforts.

A woman uses the Orion AR glasses for a video call, which appears as a semi-transparent window. — Meta demonstrated various use cases such as video calls, AR games, cooking and multitasking. The picture is illustrative.

(Image: Meta)

It will not remain a mere demo device: Meta has produced around 1,000 units of the expensive AR glasses. They will be used for internal purposes, such as the further development of the operating system, as well as for external partners who can develop their first apps for the platform based on the hardware. The number of units produced shows that Meta sees the AR glasses as a viable technical basis for its own AR ecosystem and future devices.

First commercial AR glasses are not far off

According to Meta, it plans to launch AR glasses for end consumers on the market "in the near future". Previous reports assume the year 2027.

Meta's first commercial AR glasses, codenamed "Artemis", will differ from Orion in key aspects, as Meta has already indicated. They will be more compact, lighter and, above all, significantly cheaper: about the same price as a premium smartphone or laptop. Instead of silicon carbide, Meta will use a less expensive material, which will result in a reduced field of vision. However, Meta has already indicated that the resolution, image sharpness and brightness will be higher than with Orion.

The AR glasses have so far only been demonstrated to a small group under strictly controlled conditions. Weaknesses in the technology are likely to have been concealed in this way. Even if many questions remain unanswered: In technical terms, the prototype is likely to remain a North Star for the AR industry for the foreseeable future.