Meta Platforms, the company behind Facebook, has introduced its Orion augmented reality glasses, previously codenamed Project Nazare. The Joe 90 glasses allow the user to experience an augmented reality in which they look cool rather than ridiculous. Meta says the glasses are lightweight and great for both indoor and outdoor uses, and they let people see each other’s face, eyes and expressions. Just like in real life.

“It was so challenging that we thought we had less than a 10% chance of pulling it off successfully,” they said in their announcement. Predictably, it appears that they were right.

Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta Platforms, demonstrated the X-Ray specs. Some may remember the opening line from Joe 90 in the seventies: “These are Joe 90’s special glasses. Without them, he’s a boy. Wearing them, he’s an expert.”

Meta suggests there are truly immersive use cases for Orion, from multitasking windows and big-screen entertainment to life-size holograms of people.

“You can stay connected on WhatsApp and Messenger to view and send messages. No need to pull out your phone, unlock it, find the right app and let your friend know you’re running late for dinner — you can do it all through your glasses.” Assuming that you have any real friends outside your meta imagination.

Now, this is only a prototype. It will only be available to selected users and Meta employees.

Yet there are already Ray-Ban Meta glasses that allow you to take photos and livestream video directly to Facebook or Instagram, and that is not at all creepy.

www.meta.com