Harvard group upgrades Ray-Ban Meta glasses with facial recognition tech

With cameras becoming increasingly prevalent, privacy issues rise simultaneously as startups push for on-device AI.

A group of Harvard students made headlines this week for modifying a pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses with facial recognition technology.

As cameras become more common, questions about security and data privacy have taken on greater urgency, especially in the face of widespread connectivity and remote server dependencies.

These concerns are further compounded by the involvement of companies like Amazon, the parent company of Ring, and their collaborations with law enforcement.

Amazon recently raised its 24/7 monitoring costs, citing rising expenses related to additional computing needs.

London-based startup Plumerai offers an alternative approach. Founded in 2017, the firm specializes in tiny AI technology, which enables tasks like people detection and familiar face recognition to occur on-device, eliminating the need to transmit data to remote servers.

Tony Fadell, the iPod creator and an early investor in Plumerai, explained the appeal of the company’s solution, citing his past experiences at Nest.

“We’d have to worry so much just about the storage cost and the data transmission costs,” said Fadell, according to a report by TechCrunch. “We’re taking full frames. It’s a ton of stuff that we’re recording, but not recording on-camera. I felt the weight of this all the time.”

Plumerai’s CEO Roeland Nusselder believes the startup is poised to disrupt the smart camera market with its highly efficient, low-cost AI solution.

Chamberlain Group, the parent company behind brands like myQ and LiftMaster, is set to integrate Plumerai’s AI into its outdoor cameras.

“All of the AI features are from Plumerai, running locally on the camera,” Nusselder said.

While Plumerai operates with a small team, its technology has drawn interest from key players looking to incorporate advanced AI without the burdens of data transmission costs and privacy concerns. Fadell, who has a track record of working at major tech firms, stressed the importance of small, focused teams in developing disruptive technologies.