Photo by GlassesShop on Unsplash
Meta Introduces Aria Gen 2 Glasses Featuring Heart Rate Monitoring
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Meta revealed its new Aria Gen 2 glasses this Thursday. These smart glasses are designed to advance research in multiple areas, including robotics, machine perception, and AI technologies.
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Meta unveiled Aria Gen 2 smart glasses, designed to advance AI, robotics, and machine perception research.
- The upgraded model features heart rate sensors, enhanced cameras, and spatial microphones for better AI training.
- Meta plans to make the new Aria glasses available for academic and research use in the coming months.
According to Meta , the new device features enhancements that could help researchers improve AI systems and gain a better understanding of human perspective.
“Aria Gen 2 glasses add a new set of capabilities to the Aria platform,” wrote the company on its blog. “They include a number of advances not found on any other device available today, and access to these breakthrough technologies will enable researchers to push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Compared to Aria Gen 1— introduced in 2020 as part of Facebook Reality Labs Research’s open Project Aria for AI and AR research—the new model includes upgraded sensors, extended time use, audio feedback, and lower power requirements.
Aria Gen 2 includes two new sensors in the nosepad that the previous version didn’t: one to measure heart rate and a contact microphone to differentiate the wearer’s voice from other speakers.
The hardware will maintain also features used in the previous generation—but enhanced—such as a high-quality camera, spatial microphones, eye tracking sensors, and a barometer.
Meta highlighted the progress and research already made by other companies and labs using Aria glasses. Researchers at Georgia Tech have used them to advance humanoid robot research for human assistance, BMW has integrated virtual and augmented reality into smart vehicles, and Envision has developed solutions for people who are blind or have low vision.
The tech giant expects to make the hardware commercially available for academic and research purposes in the upcoming months.
In September 2024, Meta introduced its first AR glasses prototype named Orion , powered by AI technology. Other tech companies such as Snap, Samsung, and Google have also been developing smart glasses and announcing new updates in the past few months.
Image: Photo by Kanchanara on Unsplash
Bitcoin Drops Below $80,000 Amid Market Uncertainty
- Written by Andrea Miliani Former Tech News Expert
- Fact-Checked by Sarah Frazier Former Content Manager
Bitcoin fell below $80,000 this Friday, as the market faces uncertainties tied to President Donald Trump’s tariff plans and the recent $1.5 billion crypto heist to the ByBit exchange .
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- Bitcoin dropped below $80,000 amid concerns over Trump’s tariff plans and a $1.5 billion crypto heist
- Investors had been optimistic about Trump’s crypto-friendly stance but are now losing confidence.
- Analysts say Bitcoin’s momentum faded due to a lack of new policies supporting the market.
According to Reuters , the cryptocurrency dropped 5% this Friday, registering $79,666—its lowest value since November.
Last year, Bitcoin hit a record high of $82,000 in November after the U.S. elections , followed by another surge past the $100,000 benchmark in December , and then peaking at $105,000 a few days later.
Crypto investors had been feeling optimistic as Trump showed support for the crypto market and announced crypto-advocate Paul Atkins as head of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). However, they seem to have lost trust the past few days.
“Bitcoin’s fall below $80k shows that positive sentiments from a crypto-friendly administration and high-profile endorsements have run their course,” said Joshua Chu, Co-Chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association to Reuters.
Another expert, Kyle Rodda, senior financial market analyst at Capital.com, told Reuters that the optimism the Trump administration had built by the end of the year has been fading as they haven’t shared more updates or new policies favoring the market.
Also, the new import tariffs imposed by Trump raise fears of higher inflation rates and slow growth in the global economy.
“Momentum ran out when there was no fresh news to keep driving the bullish narrative,” said Rodda.
The world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, was also down by nearly 6%—$2,149.38—showing a significant decline since January when it reached nearly $4,000.
This fall is also strongly linked to the hacking attack on the Dubai-based cryptocurrency exchange Bybit, which resulted in the largest theft in digital asset history. Hackers stole approximately 400,000 Ethereum coins.
“It’s a combination of macro forces. The Fed only planning one rate cut, more tariffs, uncertainties around geopolitics and war, and the ByBit hack didn’t help confidence either,” said Reuben Conceicao, chief strategy officer at digital wallet firm Metasig. “It is hard for people to be excited and pump BTC when there are bigger issues at play.”
