September 16, 2020 – Facebook, Inc. and EssilorLuxottica have today announced a multiyear collaboration to develop the next generation of smart glasses. The announcement was made by Mark Zuckerberg during this year’s Facebook Connect event, the company’s annual conference relating to its activity within the augmented and virtual reality industry.
The partnership will combine Facebook apps and technologies, Luxottica’s iconic brands, and Essilor’s advanced lens technology to help people stay better connected to their friends and family. The first product to come out of the partnership will be from popular eyewear brand Ray-Ban, and is scheduled to launch in 2021. It will combine the best of both technology and fashion to create a pair of consumer-grade smart glasses.
“We’re passionate about exploring devices that can give people better ways to connect with those closest to them. Wearables have the potential to do that. With EssilorLuxottica we have an equally ambitious partner who’ll lend their expertise and world-class brand catalogue to the first truly fashionable smart glasses,” said Andrew Bosworth, Vice President of Facebook Reality Labs.
“We are especially proud of our collaboration with Facebook, which projects an iconic brand like Ray-Ban into an increasingly digital and social future. Combining a brand that is loved and worn by millions of consumers around the globe with technology that has brought the world closer together, we can reset expectations around wearables. We are paving the way for a new generation of products destined to change the way we look at the world,” commented Rocco Basilico, Chief Wearables Officer at Luxottica.
Facebook noted that product name, specs, software capabilities, pricing, and other details will be shared closer to launch in 2021.
Video credit: Facebook
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.