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.
You applied for one of the 25 exclusive tickets to get guaranteed 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 jury and I can’t wait to see what your team will create.
We already know that thanks to our partner Snap, we will have as many Snap Spectacles as we need. Stay tuned for an announcement very soon about privacy-first smart glasses that will also be available at the hackathon!
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 by July 31st to secure the early bird price before it goes up by about 30%.
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!
Hi, here is your overview of upcoming XR events. While there are no events scheduled for this coming week, we already have 1 events taking place across 1 cities the week after.
THE NEWSLETTER FOR XR, SMART & AI GLASSES, AR, VR AND THE METAVERSE SINCE 2021
Hey,
Thomas here. I am a tech journalist from Cologne, Germany, and I have been wearing Meta Ray-Bans ever since the release of what we now know as the Ray-Ban Meta Gen1.
What came as a surprise to most people working in XR was that these smiled-upon face-furnitures with some built-in electronics would actually become popular. While the Ray-Ban Stories failed to gain any traction two years earlier, the AI-infused wearable hit a nerve.
Two-plus years later, something like 15 million devices might have been sold, and all major tech companies are either about to release their own smart glasses soon or are planning to do so in the near future. About 75+ different models are already available globally. The technology has almost become a commodity.
What Meta did was create a new device category that actually seems to work. And they did it with a trick: partnering with an already established designer eyewear brand.
That seemed to be the blueprint: Smart Technology + designer brand = Success.
Now, that assumption is being challenged by its own creator: Meta just announced „Meta Glasses“, its own „store brand.“ And although they don’t have „Ray-Ban“ written on them, they still look sexy!
But, Houston, we have a problem: Where the beautiful, handwritten Ray-Ban logo used to be, now sits the Meta infinity loop.
In Europe, and I guess especially here in Germany, that logo leaves a bitter mark (pun intended).
The first spas and public baths are already starting to ban smart glasses due to some amateur creeps filming people, especially women. Some even think it’s a good idea to try and pick up women, film it, and analyze the footage on social media.
Media outlets love those click-generating stories, for sure. Women’s rights advocates love-hate those stories, too. And non-creepy people who just enjoy wearing a smart wearable hate-hate them because it makes them look like idiots.
In our latest episode of Spatial Realities, Thomas Bedenk and I talk about all of this. Not so much about the specs, which are becoming more and more irrelevant for this kind of eyewear.
Will people wear glasses with a Meta logo on them? Was Meta forced to go cheaper because the trajectory was already showing signs of slowing down? And what role does EssilorLuxottica play in all of this?
What we haven’t been able to talk about yet: Is all of this maybe irrelevant because Meta lacks a powerful ecosystem of devices and services like Google, Samsung, and Apple?
We keep you covered, here at Spatial Realities.
E132 – Meta goes Store Brand: Introducing Meta Glasses
„Meta Launches Cheaper Smart Glasses Without Ray-Ban Branding„
This article reports on Meta’s launch of a more affordable version of its smart glasses without the Ray-Ban branding, outlining the key design changes, price points, and feature trade-offs readers can expect from the new device. UploadVR.com / also: Auganix.org
„We’re Partnering With EssilorLuxottica to Launch Meta Glasses„
Meta’s release of the new „Starfire“ smart glasses—a fashion-forward collaboration with Kylie Jenner—is detailed in this coverage, which covers the hardware’s unique design features, pricing tiers, and how Meta is strategically using this launch to beat Google’s upcoming competitive eyewear to market. UploadVR.com
„Why Meta’s Kylie Jenner Partnership Could Be a Turning Point for Women in Wearable AI“
In this analysis, author Julie Smithson explores how Meta’s partnership with Kylie Jenner could mark a turning point for women in wearable AI, diving into how the collaboration bridges the gap between high tech and mass-market female fashion. XRWomen.com
„Reasons why I wouldn’t have picked Kylie Jenner to collaborate on the new Meta glasses„
Lauren Hill argues on linkedin.com that the collab makes no sense as Kylie Jenner fans are not the usual smart devices consumers. That’s seem to be a valid argument. But: I guess that’s actually why it has been done.
„Meta Now Sells A Charging Stand For (Most Of) Its Smart Glasses„
The introduction of a new official charging stand for Meta’s smart glasses is explored in this piece, detailing its design, price point, and how it aims to provide a more convenient alternative to the standard charging case. UploadVR.com
„So erkennst du Smart Glasses im Schwimmbad„
Die rechtlichen und datenschutzrechtlichen Herausforderungen beim Tragen von Smart Glasses in deutschen Schwimmbädern und Saunen werden in diesem Beitrag beleuchtet, indem die bestehenden Hausordnungen, die Verletzung von Persönlichkeitsrechten durch heimliche Aufnahmen und praktische Tipps für Betreiber zur Durchsetzung von Verboten verständlich erklärt werden. WDR.de
„Meta Is Giving Free Smart Glasses To Every Blind US Veteran„
Through its new initiative to distribute free smart glasses to every blind US veteran, Meta’s philanthropic partnership and the assistive technology benefits for visually impaired former service members are examined in this report. UploadVR.com
All XR events at a glance!
Do you already know our XR calendar? Find all the XR events at one spot, configure your view and export it into your own calendar. You can also receive a weekly summary.
SIGGRAPH 2026 – July 19 Galaxy Unpacked – July 22 LEXRA Summit 2026 – August 03 next.app devcon – October 07 nextReality.festival 2026 – November 18+19
„Meta-Partner EssilorLuxottica stärkt Eigenständigkeit mit neuer Partnerschaft | heise online„
EssilorLuxottica und Applied Materials kooperieren zur Entwicklung von optischen Systemen für Smart Glasses und AR-Brillen, was die technologische Eigenständigkeit des Brillenkonzerns stärkt. heise.de
More Glasses News
„Exclusive: Here’s Your First Look at the Galaxy Glasses Manager App„
In this exclusive first look, author Vineet Washington breaks down a major leak of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Glasses companion app, revealing the setup process, a „One UI XR“ platform, and deep ecosystem features like gesture controls via the Galaxy Ring. SammyGuru.com
„Lumus’s new waveguides enable 70° FOV thin glasses„
„Keine Cloud, kein Smartphone: Diese Smart Glasses laufen autark„
Das Startup Raven Resonance präsentiert die Smart Glasses ‚Raven Prism‘, die unabhängig von einem gekoppelten Smartphone funktionieren und auf Basis eines Linux-Betriebssystems sowie einem austauschbaren Akku betrieben werden, wobei Datenschutz und lokale Datenverarbeitung betont werden. heise.de
„VITURE’s Enterprise Expansion: Hands on with Helix – AR Insider„
Das Projekt überwindet die Wahrnehmungslücke von Smart Glasses, indem es die Ästhetik traditioneller koreanischer Accessoires nutzt und das Produkt als modisches Objekt statt bloßer Technologie neu definiert. way-to-heaven.com
„Überwachung in China: Wie neue KI-Brillen das Sozialkreditsystem füttern | Telepolis„
In China wird in Metropolen wie Tianjin bereits im Alltag der Einsatz von KI-gestützten Smart Glasses durch die Polizei betrieben, welche Gesichter in Echtzeit scannen und mit Datenbanken abgleichen, was das Sozialkreditsystem nährt. telepolis.de
„At AWE 2026, Spatial Computing Grows Up And AI Is Now The Story„
„Apple Vision Pro & Smart Glasses Exec Reportedly Leaves for OpenAI Hardware Team„
Ein leitender Hardware-Mitarbeiter von Apple, der für Vision Pro und Smart Glasses zuständig war, wird Berichten zufolge zu OpenAI wechseln, wo er an deren zukünftigen KI-Geräten arbeiten soll. roadtovr.com
Also: Check out the new Neuromancer series teaser!
DER NEWSLETTER FÜR XR, SMART & AI GLASSES, AR, VR UND DAS METAVERSE SEIT 2021
Gast aus München: Clarence Dadson in da Studio!
E131 – Qualcomms nächster XR SoC, Xreal Aura und Clarence Dadson über Gaussian Splatting und Scanning
Zum Interview haben wir Clarence Dadson geladen. Der Geschäftsführer von Design4Real und Vorstandsvorsitzender des Extended Reality Bavaria e.V. beschäftigt sich seit Aufkommen des Hypes mit Gaussian Splatting.
Gaussian Splatting sorgt gerade durch seine Technik für Aufbruchstimmung in der Scanning-Landschaft. Durch winkelabhängige Ellipsoide wird ein beispielloser Fotorealismus inklusive komplexer Reflexionen und transparentem Glas möglich, der zuvor sehr viel mehr Zeit in Anspruch genommen hätte oder gar nicht möglich gewesen wäre. Die Erfassung per Kamera oder Scanner ist damit äußerst zugänglich geworden. Ein Vorteil gegenüber der traditionellen Fotogrammetrie. Diese Technik eignet sich ideal für detailreiche, statische Objekte wie Fahrräder, Immobilienpräsentation oder fotorealistische VR-Trainingskulissen.
Ganz frei von technischen Hürden ist Gaussian Splating allerdings noch nicht: Die riesigen Datenmengen erfordern enorm leistungsstarke Hardware mit viel Grafikspeicher, und die Software-Integration in gängige Engines wie Unity oder Unreal ist noch sehr rudimentär. Zudem fehlt die nachträgliche Editierbarkeit, da die Scans als untrennbarer Block ohne separate Materialien exportiert werden. Am Ende bleibt es eine kreative Tätigkeit: Wie führe ich den Scanner so, dass ich die Ergebnisse bekomme, die ich haben will?
Das Zukunftspotenzial ist riesig, denn Unternehmen wie Gracia AI streamen bereits erfolgreich animierte 4D-Splats, indem sie durch clevere Delta-Kompression die Datenraten drastisch reduzieren.
Außerdem sprechen Thomas, Clarence und Thomas über Qualcomms neusten Chip und über die Xreal Aura.
