EVERYTHING ABOUT XR, SMART & AI GLASSES, AR, VR AND THE METAVERSE SINCE 2021
As it is gamescom week, just a quick heads-up for the newest episode. And don’t forget the hackathon on September 4-6! ♥️
What do you do when you meet someone at a hackathon you work really well with? You start a company! After teaming up at a London hackathon, Ines Hilz and Andrew Douglas founded Sunflower VR and developed the AI AR-mirror Aeva Display. In this interview, they share insights into developing with Snap’s AI-powered Lens Studio and advise hackathon participants to test frequently on-device to master the holographic display’s typography, colors, and transparency.
In the News:
The Headset-Price Guess game! Featuring: Pico Space Pro, Steam Frame, Project Phoenix, Meta Ray-Ban Display 2
EVERYTHING ABOUT XR, SMART & AI GLASSES, AR, VR AND THE METAVERSE SINCE 2021
Today a shorter Newsletter. In it: the new podcast episode with AI Glasses developer Christoph Spinger. And an event invitation if you are at gamescom!
How do you develop for AI Glasses? Of course you would use AI for that. But how exactly? And what do you have to consider when your AI suddenly has eyes and ears?
I sat together with Christoph Spinger to learn from his experience. Christoph is one of the nost active and fun XR develops right now, winning almost every hackathon he joins. He also won the nextReality.Contest (apply now!) as often as nobody else yet in it’s 10 year history.
We also talked about the latest news:
EssilorLuxotticas numbers show exponential growth of Smart Glasses, contrary to the mood of social media, and even the German Data Privacy Comissioner who thinks about banning AI Glasses
Samsungs Unwrapped event which showed us again what you can not buy. Christoph is a bit disappointed, because no displays are involved.
Like last year, we are thrilled to invite you to our annual XR Get-Together at Gamescom!
In the midst of the hectic trade show hustle, step away from the crowded halls and cool down with a cold local Kölsch. Join us to unwind, network, and exchange ideas with peers, partners, and friends from the XR and interactive entertainment spaces before heading off to the evening parties. Whether you are deeply rooted in immersive tech or passionate about the future of interactive media and gaming, we would love to see you there!
Thomas here, curator of the XR track „The Contextual AI Challenge“ (→) at our AI Hackathon, taking place September 4–6 at Startplatz, Cologne.
Thank you for applying for one of the 25 exclusive tickets to get access to a device you can hack with.
I am writing to confirm that you are in. Congratulations! 🙂
It’s great to have you with us, and the mentors, jury members and I can’t wait to see what your team will create.
We already know that thanks to our partner Snap, we will have 10 Snap Spectacles (2024) we will give out to the teams.
There is one last hurdle: grab your ticket.
While the hackathon ticket isn’t free, it comes packed with huge value – including full catering, mentor access, and top-tier tech – and directly helps us cover our track’s organization costs. Make sure to book befor the 25 tickets for this track are gone.
EVERYTHING ABOUT XR, SMART & AI GLASSES, AR, VR AND THE METAVERSE SINCE 2021
With the summer holidays approaching, Thomas and I are scraping together the season’s final news for a rapid-fire discussion in this latest episode of Spatial Realities. Before you depart for the beach.
Or maybe you listen to it while being at the beach.
With a birds-eye-view on what is happening in XR, news seem to concentrate on AI and smart glasses.
I hereby apologize to all VR guys out there.
But wait, there is still hope 🙂
We expect at least three amazing headsets this fall. Josef Erl, editor at German tech news outlet heise.de writes in his newsletter → about his theory, that with those devices and others we have to say good bye to the alrounder headset. He suggests four new categories which we discuss.
These days there is no way around smart glasses. There is just too much happening in that space. I am not sure if I like that. But than: It really doesn’t matter if I like it. People talk about it, decisions are being made because of what people do with smart glasses. And a lot is being misunderstood about smart glasses. So let’s dive in:
Meta doing Meta things
German netpolitics outlet „Netzpolitik“ titles: Meta plans even more invasive surveillance glasses. Netzpolitik are well known for their harsh critics especially of Meta. Meta is thinking about a supersensing feature where the glasses record audio all the time and make a picture from time to time. And what makes it even worse it all does that without the indicator LED switched on.
So what is happening here? It is a well known game: Meta takes care something leaks which might be a problem to test the mood. And people react to it, on social media and in media outlets.
„Meta Still Internally Debating Privacy Of Always-On AI Glasses„
If you know that game exists you seee it everywhere. Somebody (Elon is doing that quite often) drops some idea, something provoking and the general public outrages. To be honest: I am a bit tired of that game. Why does it even exist? Maybe because instead of just applying to laws you might do what the public tolerates. For me that means: Something is wrong with our law or with the implementation. For us EU citizens that is a relevant fact: We have to make noise on social media because the EU regulators are weak in implementing our own laws.
While Meta thinks about deactivating the LED indicator of it’s smart glasses during the „supersensing mode“, it seems something makes them thinking they need to act upon companies who offer services to remove the functionality of the indicator LED. Maybe it is not so much what people think on social media, but something else: Can it be that privacy concerns are already readable in the sales numbers of the glasses?
That would be a great thing. But it is sad that this might be the only thing which makes Meta change something.
„Meta Is Improving Its Smart Glasses Privacy LED Tampering Detection„
„Meta KI-Brille: Neues Update sperrt Kamera bei LED-Manipulation„
Meta implementiert ein verpflichtendes Software-Update für seine Smart Glasses, das die Kamera bei jeder Manipulation oder Beschädigung der Aufnahme-LED automatisch blockiert und so heimliche Aufnahmen verhindern soll. winfuture.de
„Sicherheit: Metas Smart Glasses schalten Kamera bei Manipulation aus – Golem.de„
I have very mixed feelings about what is happening due to what people do with glasses. On one side we need a harsh reaction to predatory behaviour of creeps and creator. And Metas behaviour ignoring EU law and users privacy concerns needs a strong reaction, not only by us the people but formost by the law enforcement.
We do not have any data about how many people with a Meta Ray-Ban actually misbehave. How big is actually the problem? Do we want to base our decisions on data or on feelings? Or how do we weight that?
There are reactions which makes no sense and are consequently made because the decision makers have no clue about the technology or what is happening.
Example? Why is Illinoi banning all smart glasses for drivers wether they have a display or not?
„Illinois smart glasses driving ban continues ongoing efforts to restrict the tech’s usage — but I kinda agree with this one„
The state of New York bans smart glasses in all of their 1240 court yards. Cortney Harding comments it like that:
The matter of fact is that people have no idea how easy it is to make photos secretly with almost any other device than the smart glasses. The reason why we have a couple of articles about people being filmed is because they were spotted. If you have seen somebody make a picture or a video with Ray-Ban Meta and know where to look to see the LED you can spot somebody filming with it easily, even in bright light in the sun outside. Yes you can, I promise 🙂
„New York’s Smartglasses Ban Sets A Dangerous Precedent„
On conferences I get asked all the time: Do you actually record me right now? When I get asked that I do a little magic trick. I say: That is a very good question! And while I say that I pull out my phone and make a couple of pictures by clicking the power button twice and than use the sound rocker quite casually. Than I explain where the LED at my smart glassses is and how that would look. And than I show them the pictures I made with my smartphone without them recognizing. That usually cures them.
Nevertheless: The mood gets worse. There are even superstars shouting „fuck the glasses“ on stages. And especially in the US I understand that even more as ICE might access data to do their thing. It’s horrible.
„„Fuck the Glasses“: Lorde schimpft über Meta Glasses„
Bei einem Auftritt kritisierte die Sängerin Lorde öffentlich smarte Brillen und riet davon ab, weil sie diese nicht sexy findet. futurezone.at
„The Kardashians are undercover tech bros – are we all doomed?„
So why am I still wearing my glasses? I am waiting for the others to finally release their smart glasses. I will switch to a more privacy-friendly company. And: It’s education. The tech is not the problem. It’s the regulation and the creeps we have to work on. I will not stop educating people how smart glasses actually work and why creeps are the problem, not normal people.
More news about smart glasses
„Anständige Nutzer trauen sich kaum noch, Smart-Glasses zu tragen„
Aufgrund wachsender Datenschutzbedenken, Missbrauchsberichten und negativer öffentlicher Kritik verzichten immer mehr Käufer von Metas Smart-Brillen im Alltag auf deren Nutzung. winfuture.de
„Smartglasses und Smartphones: Verbot für Nutzung im Freibad? – SWR Aktuell„
Freibadbetreiber sorgen sich zunehmend um Smartphones und insbesondere Smartglasses aufgrund des heimlichen Fotografierens und Filmens, wofür in Baden-Württemberg eine Diskussion über generelle Verbote geführt wird. swr.de
„Smart Glasses werden immer dünner und leichter und setzen auf mehr Privatsphäre | heise online„
Solos AirGo A6 ist ein neues, extrem leichtes und kamerasloses Smart Glasses-Modell mit KI-Sprachsteuerung, während für andere Solos-Kameramodelle Datenschutz-Zubehör erhältlich ist. heise.de
„The Meta Glasses backlash is changing how (or if) people use them – Engadget„
Online-Reaktionen beeinflussen die Nutzung und Akzeptanz von Metas Smart Glasses. engadget.com
Willie Smit wurde aufgrund der Nutzung einer KI-Brille mit integrierter Kamera, die vom Fahrer getragen wird, von der Tour of Magnificent Qinghai disqualifiziert. rennrad-news.de
„Smart Glasses: Neue EU-Akkuvorgaben kommen Meta entgegen | heise online„
Die EU hat Ausnahmen für die Akku-Austauschpflicht beschlossen, die auch Wearables wie Smart Glasses einschließen und damit Meta sowie andere Hersteller entlasten. heise.de
Recap: Gaussian Splats in Cologne
This monday we had our first workshop here at Spatial Realities. 40 people joined us at Startplatz Cologne for a full day of Gaussians Splats! The event was supported by XGrids which let us use their superb hardware! Check out the Recap-Newsletter → to see the scans of the day and a full photo documentation of that day!
Coming up:
Check out our XR calendar to learn about the next events in XR!
July 19-23 – SIGGRAPH 2026
July 22 – Galaxy Unpacked
August 26 – XR Get-Together@gamescom 2026
September 4-6 – The Contextual AI Challenge – AIX Hackathon
„Meta: Nach Kritik – Konzern stoppt neue KI-Funktion »Muse Image« – DER SPIEGEL„
Meta nimmt eine kontroverse Funktion aus ihrem KI-Bildgenerierungsprogramm Muse Image zurück, nachdem massiver öffentlicher Druck und Bedenken bezüglich des Datenschutzes aufgetreten sind. spiegel.de
„RP1 Launches Artemis Metaverse Browser for Spatial Experiences„
„HTC’s Revenue Stabilizes as XR Pioneer Pins Hopes on AI, Smart Glasses and Enterprise„
Trotz anhaltender Einnahmensenkungen und dem Wandel weg von Smartphones versucht HTC durch XR-, KI-Produkte wie VIVE Eagle und die Metaverse-Plattform VIVERSE, seine Geschäftsbasis zu stabilisieren und zukünftiges Wachstum anzustreben. roadtovr.com
„Lenovo laid off its XR business unit to focus on AI and wearables„
We already saw a couple of scan results, but some scans were still in the oven by the end of the workshop. Find all the results and presentations here:
Important: Please do not redistribute the scans by CopterTec. Thank you.
Photo documentation
During the event I made a couple of photos. Find the full gallery on Google Photos →. You can use them for whatever you like 🙂 They are under Creative Commons BY SA licence
What comes next:
But wait, there is more what Spatial Realities offers! Check out these events:
Be part of the biggest AI Hackathon in NRW and connect with engineers and product leads actually building what could be the next interfaces, apps and business models.
Hey hackers,
Thomas here. In case you didn’t know: In 2024 and 2025, two amazing hackathons sponsored by Meta took place right before gamescom in Cologne, Germany (check out the YouTube Recap → 2025!).
Originally, the plan was to host this every year. While there won’t be a hackathon right before gamescom this year, bear with me , I’ve got some great news:
There will be an XR meetup on Wednesday during gamescom.
There will be a hackathon just one week after gamescom.
Trust me, you don’t want to miss it! 🚀
What this is about
What if … your AI agent had eyes and ears, stayed with you at all times, and delivered intelligent, contextual responses without you ever needing to pull out your phone?
Welcome to the era of Ambient and Contextual AI, driven by Spatial Computing. As Smart Glasses, AR Glasses, and AI Wearables rapidly emerge, they raise pivotal questions:
Will they eventually replace the smartphone?
What will the user interfaces of the future look like?
And which new business models will these technologies unlock?
Accept the Contextual AI Challenge and shape the next generation of computing!
