Facebook-parent Meta buys smart lensmaker Luxexcel: What the acquisition means and more – Times of India

Facebook-parent Meta has acquired Luxexcel, a company that makes 3D-printing prescription lenses for smart glasses, as it continues to invest in augmented reality (AR) space. The acquisition of the Netherlands-based company will help the company’s bid to strengthen the work done by Reality Labs – the company’s business that produces virtual reality (VR) and AR hardware and software.
“We’re excited that the Luxexcel team has joined Meta, deepening the existing partnership between the two companies,” The Verge quoted Ryan Moore, the company’s head of financial communications, as saying. The news was first reported by Dutch outlet De Tijd. The terms of the deal are unknown.
Luxexcel was founded in 2009 and it 3D prints prescription lenses that companies use inside AR glasses for experiences like holographic film and projectors. The company has, in the past, partnered with WaveOptics, the company that provides the displays for Snap’s Spectacles.

Meta Reality Labs investments
Earlier this month, Meta CTO and Reality Labs head, Andrew Bosworth, revealed in a blog post that “about half” of the company’s Reality Labs’ operating expenses are spend into creating AR experiences and the remaining into building VR products.
“It’s a level of investment we believe makes sense for a company committed to staying at the leading edge of one of the most competitive and innovative industries on earth,” Bosworth said.
The executive said that possibilities unlocked by eye and face tracking technology go beyond avatars. “Our vision for true AR glasses will require years of progress making our devices slimmer, lighter, faster, and more powerful, all while consuming way less battery power and generating much less heat,” he said.

Meta’s mixed reality vision
Bosworth says that its mixed reality (MR) is a part of the company’s “journey toward full AR devices.” The company says that eye and face tracking is essential for the company’s AR and VR devices to reach their full potential. “MR is about much more than just displaying a live video feed of your surroundings inside the headset,” he added.