Meta Ray-Ban Display Part 1 (Lumus Waveguide, OmniVision LCOS, and Goertek Projection Engine)
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Karl Guttag provides an in-depth technical breakdown of the Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses' display and optical path, based on iFixit teardowns, CT scans, and component analysis. The piece reveals that the glasses use a Lumus Geometric waveguide paired with an OmniVision LCOS microdisplay and a custom Goertek-designed optical engine—a configuration that differs from previous Lumus designs. Guttag compares the optical engine architecture against traditional Lumus designs and collaborates with former Apple engineer Radu Reit and optical experts to provide comprehensive technical insights into how the display system actually works.
Excerpt from KGOnTech
Introduction – Busy Studying the Meta Ray-Ban Display and Helping with Teardowns
As I was about to be away for nearly a month in Europe, including presenting at the AR/VR/MicroLED Connect conference in Eindhoven, news broke about the Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses. I immediately noticed that the glasses used a Lumus Geometric waveguide (see: Meta Ray-Ban AR Glasses Show Lumus Waveguide Structures in Leaked Video and the image below, left). However, an X-ray-like view of the glasses was subsequently published (below right), revealing that the optical engine didn’t resemble any previous Lumus optical engine. While in Eindhoven during the “networking time,” I heard that it used an OmniVision LCOS microdisplay, and that Goertek designed the optical engine and manufactured the glasses.
If you look at the Lumus engine (right), you will see a long “integrating rod” homogenizer that is not seen in the X-Ray view of the MRBD (above right, pointed at by red arrow)
There have been several teardowns of the Meta Glasses. I helped iFixit with their teardown, which was published on October 8th. iFixit worked with Lumafield to get an intact CT scan of the glasses. This turned out to be a very good thing because, as the optical engine was being assembled, it required disassembling it to inspect its components. iFixit has also provided me with the engine components for further analysis.
I’m also working with Radu Reit’s Display Training Center on his teardown of the Meta Display Glasses (he has one part published on YouTube as of this writing). Radu managed to remove the Lumus Waveguide while keeping the rest of the engine intact and running, allowing us to compare the projector’s output with that via the Waveguide. He was also able to reassemble it with the waveguide.
The combination of the iFixit teardowns and parts, Radu’s partial teardown, and my non-open unit should provide a comprehensive picture of how the Meta Ray-Ban Display Glasses (hereafter, MRBD) display and optics work.
I would also like to thank David Bonelli of Pulsar Solutions for his assistance in analyzing the design. David thinks he could improve on the Goertek optical engine.
In Part 1 of this multi-part series, I will focus on the display and optical path, primarily based on iFixit’s Teardown and the components they lent me for further evaluation.
Partnership with Display Training Center Videos
Radu Reit, formerly with Apple, working on the Apple Watch, iPhone, Vision Pro, and more, has…
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