The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has uploaded a manual of Facebook’s prototype AR glasses, tech news outlet Protocol first reported on Thursday.
Facebook’s Project Aria, or Gemini engineering valuation test (EVT), includes multriple versions of the device which Facebook has explored ahead of its mass production.
According to the report, the Gemini head-mounted displays can swap its lenses for prescription glasses, and users cannot fold the arms due to the design.
The manual reads,
“If your glasses have prescription lenses, they are intended only for use by the prescribed user. The Glasses are not intended for users whose vision cannot be corrected with standard corrective lenses”
The glasses do not feature a visual augmented reality (AR) component as they collect user data rather than displaying it, and the device also contains proximity and camera sensors, the manual states.
Project Aria also includes a mobile companion app used to set up the glasses, connect to WiFi, check battery power, and upload sensor data. The manual shows an iOS app but currently not for Android OS.
Four cameras in the device record photos and videos, using the same camera sensors as in the Oculus Quest 2, with videos recorded as VRS files with simultanous video capture.
Button arrangement for the device is minimalistic and features shutter and power buttons, as well as a privacy switch and LEDs to indicate footage recording.
The device uses a Qualcomm chipset and Oculus OS, a custom Android OS along with a magnetic USB charging port also used for Android ADB sideloading.
The findings come nearly a year after Facebook announced details about the upcoming project in a blog post, but the most recent revelation offers more information on the device’s features.
The report also comes nearly a month after Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Chief Executive and Founder, said in a quartery earnings call the Menlo Park-based firm would launch a pair of AR-powered Ray Ban smartglasses, in partnership with Essilor Luxottica, later this year.
Project Orion could potentially replace smartphones, according to sources speaking to CNBC in 2019.
