Facebook and EssilorLuxottica have joined forces to develop the next generation of smart glasses. The partnership will combine Facebook apps and technologies with Luxottica’s eyewear brands and Essilor’s lens technology to help people stay better connected to their friends and family, said Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook Connect, an annual conference held virtually from California.
“We’re passionate about exploring devices that can give people better ways to connect with those closest to them. Wearables have the potential to do that. With EssilorLuxottica we have an equally ambitious partner who’ll lend their expertise and world-class brand catalogue to the first truly fashionable smart glasses,” said Andrew Bosworth, vice president of Facebook Reality Labs.
Scheduled to launch next year, the first brand to receive the ‘smart’ treatment is Ray-Ban. “Combining a brand that is loved and worn by millions with technology that has brought the world closer together, we can reset expectations around wearables,” added Rocco Basilico, Luxottica’s chief wearables officer.
