This week, the technology sector was overtaken by Microsoft Ignite 2024. The yearly event showcases the latest Microsoft updates, including the broad number of partners working within its product portfolio.
While Microsoft’s XR hardware ambitions continue to drop, the firm showcased at Ignite that it will continue to support third-party XR firms and software to help businesses leverage spatial data and solutions.
Moreover, the trend of smart glasses continues to rise. In the middle of 2024, AR smart glasses started to take centre stage, with market predictions indicating that VR headsets may fall into second place as smart glasses take first place in the race.
This trend doubled down when Meta showcased its commitment to smart glasses at Connect 2024. In turn, a range of technology giants are entering the market, making forecasts for the immersive technology market in 2025 look as bright as ever.
Meta Doubles Down on AI-Ready AR Smart Glasses
Recently, Meta announced the rollout of its AI framework across the Ray-Ban Meta AR-lite smart glasses in EU regions, following an initial reveal at Connect 2024. These features were first introduced in the US, Canada, and Australia. However, recent developments indicate a push to bring AI features to more customers in France, Italy, Ireland, and Spain.
This urgency may stem from comments made during the recent Q3 2024 earnings call of EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban’s parent company. They noted that in EU regions, 60% of Ray-Ban stores consider the smart glasses to be best-sellers.
The Meta AI rollout allows EU customers to use voice controls to receive real-time information based on their surroundings. This update also means that the Meta AI integration on the consumer smart glasses will now support French, Italian, and Spanish language capabilities. Following this EU rollout, Meta plans to continue introducing AI features in other countries within the region.
The news of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses AI rollout comes as Meta explores how emerging technology can create new use cases for enterprise sectors via research in collaboration with a select group of universities to promote research towards Project Aria, a prototype AI-powered AR smart glasses device that aligns with the Meta Orion project.
Similar to the Orion device, Project Aria aims to enhance research into everyday AR wearables and data-driven services. The Aria framework focuses on how AR environmental data can be applied across various fields, including robotics, healthcare, and automotive industries. Recent partnerships with universities aim to advance this company-wide research by working with research divisions at leading institutions that utilize the Aria Research Kit (ARK) to explore new forms of hands-free XR communication.
The University of Bristol is collaborating with ARK to improve its internal project, Ego-Exo4D. This project uses Aria sensors to create 3D models of real-world environments. Ego-Exo4D seeks to leverage Meta’s smart glasses to capture how highly skilled individuals, such as athletes and chefs, interact with their surroundings and incorporate that environmental data into a robotics framework.
Meanwhile, the University of Iowa is using the Aria framework to develop healthcare services for individuals with hearing loss. By utilizing Aria environmental data, researchers at Iowa are creating devices that translate the direction from which sounds originate.
Additionally, researchers at IIIT Hyderabad are working on the Driver Intent Prediction Project, which leverages computer vision to help prevent automotive accidents. Similar to the Bristol project, they aim to understand drivers’ intent to enhance awareness of potential accidents by utilizing Aria gaze data.
Meta is also collaborating with Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute to support the development of Navcog, a healthcare application that provides audio navigation for visually impaired individuals. This partnership allows researchers to reduce their reliance on Bluetooth technology and use the Aria framework for better responsiveness to new environments.
This international university research partnership comes as Meta seeks to enhance the applicability of AR data for new uses beyond smart glasses hardware. Meta indicates that Aria has potential applications in research areas such as embodied AI, contextualized AI, human-computer interaction (HCI), and robotics.
Although the Aria project is still in its early stages—its official website is currently under development—Meta announced It at Connect 2020. As XR technology expands beyond hardware, valuable spatial data will lead to new use cases.
Ignite 2024: Microsoft Windows 11 Comes to Meta Quest Mixed Reality Headsets
At Ignite 2024, Microsoft announced its plans to launch a mixed reality (MR) version of its Windows portfolio specifically designed for Meta Quest headsets. This announcement comes as the company has decided to discontinue support for HoloLens, indicating a shift towards becoming an immersive software provider rather than focusing on hardware.
The upcoming Windows Mixed Reality for Quest service will provide full access to Microsoft’s trusted digital suite on devices like the Quest 3 and Quest 3S. Microsoft emphasizes that this immersive service will enhance productivity and collaboration opportunities for Quest users.
This development may significantly improve the use of Meta’s MR headsets in professional environments. In addition, Meta is increasing the integration of Quest devices in collaborative settings, exemplified by the recent launch of the Meta Quest for Education package.
The Windows Mixed Reality for Quest solution aims to establish a virtual collaboration and productivity suite that facilitates virtual meetings, shared workspace interactions, and in-person collaboration over digital content through high-quality MR visualizations. This service is set to debut as a preview in December 2024, just one month before Microsoft officially concludes HoloLens support.
Ignite 2024: TeamViewer Gains Microsoft Teams, Copilot, and Azure OpenAI Integrations
At Ignite 2024, TeamViewer, a provider of augmented remote guidance services, unveiled new AI features integrated with Microsoft’s technology portfolio, which includes Teams, Copilot, and Azure OpenAI infrastructure.
The Microsoft-powered “AI Session” feature enables TeamViewer users to generate detailed summaries of remote guidance and support sessions. This functionality provides valuable insights into standard frontline procedures, such as maintenance, repairs, and training, ultimately enhancing operational efficiency.
Mei Dent, Chief Product & Technology Officer at TeamViewer, added:
Microsoft Azure OpenAI is at the core of our AI-driven insights, ensuring data security and efficiency as we deliver high-performance solutions at scale. This integration with Azure marks the beginning of a broader strategy to embed AI deeply into IT support operations. By connecting TeamViewer insights with Microsoft Copilot, we’re enabling teams to tackle issues proactively, optimize operations, and make data-driven decisions with ease. Our vision is to empower support teams to collaborate seamlessly and drive smarter, more agile support within a unified platform.
Microsoft has demonstrated its commitment to TeamViewer and, by extension, XR-powered remote guidance tools. Notably, Microsoft named TeamViewer its 2024 Teams Partner of the Year. This award highlights TeamViewer’s recent integration with Microsoft Teams and the Copilot AI service.
With the AI Session integration, users can access enhanced in-chat and in-call support sessions within the Teams suite. Remote support agents utilizing the TeamViewer service can provide session data, analyze insights, and receive recommendations powered by Copilot AI. This integration enables IT teams and instructors to collaborate effectively with frontline workers using essential TeamViewer and Teams data within a single application.
Edith Wittmann, General Manager of Global Partner Solutions Germany at Microsoft, also added:
TeamViewer and Microsoft are joining forces to enhance the value and experience for our customers. By combining TeamViewer’s advanced remote support and workflow solutions with Microsoft’s powerful AI and cloud infrastructure, we are not only improving agent productivity today, but moving towards an agent-less support in the future, which will be a gamechanger for our customers.
Moreover, Alfredo Patron, Executive Vice President of Business Development at TeamViewer, noted that the Microsoft partnership showcases the firm’s commitment to “leading industry standards and empowering IT teams to achieve new levels of service excellence.”
Vuzix Joins the Consumer AR Smart Glasses Race and Integrates Intune
Vuzix has announced the integration of Microsoft’s Intune, a cloud-based Mobile Device Management (MDM) service, to assist businesses in deploying hardware across their workforce. The integration will be incorporated into Vuzix’s M-series of AR smart glasses, and the company has received official certification from the Intune provider. This move aims to enhance scaling and distribution efforts for customers already using the MDM solution.
“Microsoft Intune is widely used around the world, especially among large organizations, and this certification removes a key deployment barrier for many IT departments,” noted Paul Travers, President and CEO of Vuzix.
Travers explained that Vuzix seamlessly integrates the M-series AR smart glasses into the Intune platform. This integration will enable customers to unify their XR hardware portfolio with a service already widely used by Vuzix’s clients.
The Intune integration will allow Vuzix customers to manage the M-series smart glasses effectively. It will also support IT teams in handling device settings, security processes, and application access.
Travers added:
This certification is a key development for Vuzix and, along with our recently announced support of Android 13, further differentiates the competitiveness and utility of our M-series smart glasses within the enterprise space.
Following its recent certification from Microsoft, the well-established XR company is entering the consumer smart glasses market after focusing solely on the business sector.
This news arrives as interest in consumer smart glasses rises, thanks partly to companies like Meta expanding the market through partnerships, such as its collaboration with Ray-Ban. As a result, major technology players like Samsung, Apple, and OpenAI are also preparing to enter this space.
Vuzix is now introducing its Vuzix Z100 smart glasses to consumers, with general availability announced. Starting at $499, Vuzix positions these AR wearables as tools to assist with daily tasks by offering an immersive heads-up display. The glasses can connect to Android and iPhone devices to provide real-time information, including notifications, updates, and messaging.
To enhance the user experience, Vuzix is releasing an accompanying smartphone app called ‘Vuzix Connect,’ which allows users to receive real-time notifications on their Vuzix Z100 smart glasses. Recent updates to this app have added new features, including a teleprompter, fitness application, Google Maps integration, translation capabilities, and transcription services.
Travers:
The Z100 takes AI/AR smart glasses to the next level, providing individuals with a hands-free AI interface that is indistinguishable from a traditional pair of glasses. The Z100 is an attractive, lightweight, and cost-effective way to augment current workflows with AI optimization software, inside a device that people will enjoy wearing all day, every day and it is built and priced with the broad market white label customer in mind.
Vuzix’s entry into the consumer market is a logical step, especially as augmented reality (AR) smart glasses are poised to revolutionize the tech industry. Recently, ResearchAndMarkets published a report titled “Smart Augmented Reality Glasses—Global Strategic Business Report.” This report highlights the growth rates of smart glasses, their potential opportunities for businesses, and how they could potentially replace VR headsets.