Meta’s ‘Camerabuds’ project takes a unique approach to wearable AI

Summary

• Meta is developing headphones with cameras and onboard AI, facing challenges like obstruction by hair and temperature management.
• CEO Zuckerberg has yet to find a satisfactory design.
• Despite past hardware projects being shelved, headphones are seen as more consumer-friendly and will hopefully see the light of day.

Pioneering new hardware in a tech-saturated world can seem challenging, but every once in a while, a watershed moment comes along, spawning a fleet of products with this one new capability stapled on. We can collectively agree that in the last few years, AI has been that watershed moment, and is now all-pervading. Social media giant Meta already has a few wearables where AI could be integrated, but a new report based on insider information claims the company is developing headphones, complete with cameras and onboard AI.

We have already got a taste of what Meta can do with cameras integrated into eyewear because the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses have been a huge success. More recently, Google’s Project Astra gave us a taste of what’s possible when advanced generative AI interfaces with head-worn cameras. Now, a report from The Information reveals the company is investing resources in a new project that would add cameras and AI smarts to headphones, but there are a few hiccups (via Notebookcheck).

Progressing slowly through the initial stages

If the three Meta staffers who spoke to the publication are to be believed, the social brand is betting big on a project internally known as Camerabuds. While the name might suggest they are in-ear buds, Meta hasn’t finalized the form factor yet. Apparently, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has seen several designs but didn’t find any of them satisfactory, and that’s quite understandable.

Like we’ve seen with the Apple Vision Pro, onboard computing adds volume, thermal mass, and bulk to the design, so earbuds with cameras would only work if the processing is offloaded to a connected device, and current Bluetooth standards may not be up to spec to transmit real-time video an AI assistant would demand. The report adds the company is currently focused on overcoming potential obstruction by long hair, and ensuring the hardware stays cool, because toasty ears get uncomfortable in ordinary closed back headphones too.

While Meta declined The Information’s request for comment on the matter, it’s easy to see the tech industry actively pursuing the wearable camera concept. Apple’s Vision Pro is well-conceived but decidedly bulky. Smaller devices like the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI Pin haven’t received stellar reviews either, and were plagued by the same heating concerns Meta is battling.

We will follow developments in this realm closely, but with tempered expectations, mostly because Meta can be unpredictable with seeing hardware projects to completion. The smart glasses came to fruition, but Meta notably shelved a smartwatch project and a range of smart speakers called Portal. However, headphones are a lot more consumer-friendly, and we are hopeful to see a finished product sometime.