Meta has developed AI-powered glasses designed to support people with disabilities in their daily lives. The wearable devices, including Ray-Ban Meta, Oakley Meta Vanguard, and Meta Ray-Ban Display, offer hands-free assistance for tasks such as making phone calls, sending messages, translating speech, and capturing photos or videos through voice commands.
The glasses use Meta AI to provide users with detailed descriptions of their surroundings. A feature called Call a Volunteer was created in partnership with Be My Eyes to connect blind or low-vision individuals with volunteers who can help describe what is seen through the glasses and assist with daily activities.
Noah Currier, a Marine Corps veteran and founder of Oscar Mike, highlighted the impact of this technology on physically disabled users: “I’m a wheelchair user and I’m a quadriplegic, so my hands don’t work. I probably have much fewer photos and videos in my phone than anybody else in the world. Being able to take photos and videos hands-free was incredible,” he said. “The very first thing I did was take a picture of my baby when I got home, and it was awesome.”
Ray-Ban Meta glasses combine design elements with functional features such as an open-ear audio player and 3K Ultra HD video capability.
Filmmaker James Rath uses Ray-Ban Meta glasses along with Meta AI for creative projects outdoors: “I’ll use them as more of my eyes. I’ll ask the AI, ‘is my setting set to the right ISO, to the right aperture?’ Just [to] make sure my camera settings are what I believe and what I think I see,” he said. “When I’m filming a scene I’ll describe how I want it to look and ask the glasses if there’s anything in the background I need to remove. That saves me a lot of time in post production.” Rath also uses the technology to check on his guide dog.
Writer Jezz Chung noted that Ray-Ban Meta’s technology supports autonomy for people living with ADHD or autism by enabling them to document their perspective without relying on a smartphone. Chung explained that taking photos from her point of view helps others understand her experiences: she can quickly capture images for reference while remaining engaged socially.
For fitness tracking, Meta’s AI glasses integrate with Garmin devices so users can monitor activity stats hands-free during workouts. Paralympic athlete Nick Mayhugh uses them for real-time feedback during training sessions.
Meta has collaborated with Veterans Affairs Blind Rehabilitation Centers and partnered with the Blinded Veterans Association to develop guides helping veterans use these devices more independently—for example by activating voice commands or reading documents without needing additional equipment.
Meta states its commitment to working alongside communities to ensure products meet diverse accessibility needs: “We’re committed to collaborating with communities to build products for diverse needs, and we’re proud that our AI technology empowers members of the disabled community to connect in ways most accessible to them.”