While Apple's glasses are rumored to be the smart glasses most people are familiar with, other companies are also working on similar technology and we've just gotten our first look at how Facebook's alternative might work. This comes from a patent found by Patently Mobile, which shows how a key piece of technology in the Facebook glasses (as we call it, though not the final name) can work. We haven't heard much about Facebook's smart glass plans yet, other than the fact that it has them (thanks to the company buying a few companies that could help with this effort), so such products are likely in a few years. Still, that will give us an idea of what Facebook is planning.
How far is it?
The Facebook Glass patent shows different methods for glasses to detect depth and range, which would be useful for various AR tools, as well as photography and more. Smartphones typically use a time of flight (ToF) or laser focus sensor to do this, but both have several drawbacks and Facebook appears to be working on a slightly different method.
![]()
(Image credit: Patently Mobile) The patent shows Facebook glasses with a camera and waveguides in the lens, which create three different interference patterns and choose the best of the three. It also looks like the specific Facebook Glass lenses will be packed with tech, which suggests you won't be able to use the specs with the lenses your optician might give you. Instead, they may only be useful for people who don't need prescription glasses. Since Facebook's glasses are just a rumored product right now, it seems like this patent just shows that the technology Facebook is testing may not happen to the finished product. Despite this, we can still see Facebook trying to come up with improved solutions to typical problems, a precedent that could apply to other parts of the glasses as well.