Meta is throwing more money into the metaverse with the acquisition of Luxexcel, a Netherlands-based company that specializes in 3D printing prescription lenses for smart glasses. The news was first reported by the Dutch outlet The time (through TechCrunch), but Meta has since confirmed that The edge that he bought the company.
“We are pleased that the Luxexcel team has joined Meta, deepening the existing partnership between the two companies,” Meta said in a statement from Ryan Moore, the company’s chief financial communications officer. While the terms of the deal are unknown, Andrew Bosworth, head of Meta CTO and Reality Labs revealed in a blog post earlier this month that the company is putting “about half” of its metaverse-focused division’s operating costs into augmented reality (AR), with the other half going to build virtual reality (VR) products as it continues to bleed billions.
Founded in 2009, Luxexcel says it can integrate the elements needed to create an augmented reality experience into a prescription lens like holographic film and projectors. 2021, it partnered with WaveOpticsthe company that provides the displays for Snap’s Spectacles, to create a lens equipped with waveguides, or the transparent display technology needed to superimpose virtual objects on a user’s real environment.
Even as Meta works to build its first pair of AR glasses, we may not see a finished product for a while. Bosworth says Meta’s AR glasses will “take years of progress” as it tries to make the device “sleeker, lighter, faster and more powerful”. In June, The edgeAlex Heath of ‘s reported that the first version of Meta’s AR glasses will only be available to developers – just like Snap’s Spectacles – while two later pairs could become available to consumers over the course of several years.
