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There have already been some super creative fan responses to Spider-Man’s newfangled E.D.I.T.H glasses, which made their big screen debut in Far From Home over the summer. Some YouTubers have even gone so far as to DIY their own pair, which is impressive to a degree. The specs — which name stands for Even Dead, I’m The Hero — are Tony Stark’s parting gift to Peter Parker, a constant reminder of his caustic wit. And although they’re responsible for comically disproportionate mishaps, nearly obliterating a bus full of holidaying teens, eventually Peter learns to control E.D.I.T.H’s powers and use them for good.
But any true fan of the MCU should be ready to take cosplay to the next level. I’m not just talking about donning your lycra and getting in line at Comic-Con; I mean getting Mark Zuckerberg on your side and generating new software so that you can own your very own sentient AI glasses. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: Orion.
Facebook has partnered up with Ray-Ban to produce its own AI specs. Under the suave codename, these specs are in development and could be on the market within the next few years. Combining the functionality of smart watches with the auditory sensitivity of Alexa/Google, and the all-round capability of a smartphone, I imagine it’s in a similar vein to other AI advances we’ve seen recently.
Alright, so they’re not working in partnership with the MCU, but the glasses are reported to allow users to “take calls, show information to users in a small display and live-stream their vantage point to their social media friends and followers”. So basically the same as E.D.I.T.H, and J.A.R.V.I.S before her, as well as the rest of Tony Stark’s kit.
At first I thought this might be a little invasive of privacy, but maybe this could be the next step in helping make lives just a bit more convenient. Necessary? Not really. Will feel awesome to wear going out? Absolutely. On top of this, Facebook is reportedly developing an artificial intelligence voice assistant to serve as an input to the specs. Working out of its Facebook Reality Labs in Redmond, Washington, the company is pairing up with Ray-Ban parent company Luxottica to get them completed.
The product is planned to be ready for consumers between 2023 and 2025 — a few years off at the moment. There is of course a possibility they might not be shipped if they don’t reach that stage, but they could be awesome if and when they arrive.
These glasses almost definitely aren’t going to allow you to shoot missiles remotely; they’re not quite that on-brand with E.D.I.T.H. But as far as the tech and movie worlds go, this is a pretty great crossover. If a pair of glasses can act like an artificial PA by listening to my voice, and I’ve got the added bonus of looking as cool as Spider-Man when I’m wearing them, then I’m in.
Facebook enlists Ray-Ban to help develop ‘Orion’ smart glasses, a secret project underway for years [CNBC]
