Ferrari Star Charles Leclerc Partners with RayBan & Meta for AR Glasses

Ferrari's star driver, Charles Leclerc, has partnered with Meta and RayBan to launch a new line of augmented reality glasses featuring the iconic wayfarer frame. These revolutionary glasses will be available for purchase on October 17. Meta CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg, unveiled the AR glasses during the recent Meta Connect conference in Menlo Park, California.

In a captivating video, Leclerc showcased the glasses by providing a unique point-of-view perspective of the steering wheel while driving. Widely considered a future world champion in Formula 1, Leclerc previously won the F2 world championship and finished as the runner-up in the 2022 world driver's championship, only behind the exceptional Max Verstappen.

With over 12 million Instagram followers, Leclerc is the third most popular F1 driver, trailing behind Verstappen and Hamilton. In the launch video, Leclerc praised the game-changing technology of the AR glasses.

Meta featured Leclerc in an Instagram live video, highlighting the camera's perspective captured by the glasses, allowing viewers to see the track through Leclerc's eyes. The caption for the post read, "See the track through @charles_leclerc's eyes with the new #RayBanMeta smart glasses." The glasses retail at a starting price of $299, representing a significant upgrade from the first-generation models.

The glasses boast twin ultra-wide 12-megapixel cameras capable of recording 1080p videos up to one minute long. Additionally, users can livestream directly to Instagram and Facebook. Equipped with advanced AI capabilities, such as computer vision, these wayfarer-style glasses can identify objects, locations, and people. They also feature instant language translation, allowing wearers to interact seamlessly with individuals who speak different languages.

Zuckerberg emphasised the potential of smart glasses, stating, "Smart glasses are the ideal form factor for you to let AI assistants see what you're seeing and hear what you're hearing." He continued by highlighting the versatility of smart glasses in bridging different applications and personas into a stylish wearable device.