Meta has further increased its investment in the metaverse by acquiring Netherlands-based company Luxexcel, which specializes in 3D printing of prescription glasses for smart glasses. This news, first reported by Dutchman De Tijd (via TechCrunch), was later confirmed by Meta.
“We are excited that the Luxexcel team is joining Meta, deepening the existing partnership between the two companies,” Meta said in a statement by the company’s head of financial communications, Ryan Moore. Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but Meta CTO and head of Reality Labs, Andrew Bosworth, revealed in a blog post earlier this month that “about half” of the company’s metaverse-focused division is spent on augmented reality (AR). The other half will be used to develop the field of virtual reality products (VR), which still continues to suffer severely.
Founded in 2009, Luxexcel says it can integrate elements needed to create an augmented reality experience within a prescription lens, such as holographic film and projectors. In 2021, it partnered with WaveOptics, the company that provides displays for Snap’s Spectacles, to create a lens equipped with the waveguides or transparent display technology needed to place virtual objects in a user’s real-life environment.
Although Meta is trying to produce its first AR glasses, we may not see a finished product for a long time. Bosworth says Meta’s AR glasses will take years of development work to make the device “thinner, lighter, faster and more powerful.”
But Meta is getting closer and closer as it adds color video transitions to its expensive new Quest Pro headset. Also in 2021, it partnered with Ray-Ban to launch Ray-Ban Stories, a pair of smart glasses equipped with cameras, speakers and microphones.
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