Augmented Reality, AR, may revolutionize the way we look at the world, but Facebook wants AR glasses to revolutionize the way we listen to the world . Facebook’s FRL Research has built prototypes of AR glasses that have microphones and headphones that can determine which sounds are to be amplified and which are to be attenuated.
For example, if you are in a club with loud music, the AR glasses may notice that you are watching someone trying to talk to you. The sound system can then automatically amplify the voice of the speaker and use noise cancellation to mute the music.
Technology can also help you determine where a sound is coming from. It can be useful for video meetings via AR, for example, where everyone is sitting in a virtual room (or on a virtual beach if you like). Here it becomes easier to perceive who is talking because you can hear where the voice is coming from in the virtual room.
Similar technologies already exist in some hearing aids, but Facebook believes that their system should take the technology to a new level with the connection to AR. Facebook also promises dearly and sacredly that they have taken great account of privacy issues when developing the technology.
