Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses have gained a reputation for being scary, and criticism is growing over reports of users secretly recording people in public. Swedish journalists found that meta-moderators had reviewed intimate footage taken through the glasses, including people going to the toilet and having sex.
Meta responded that it takes privacy seriously and that the footage remains on the user’s device unless they wish to share it. Reports about the company’s plans to introduce facial recognition haven’t helped either. But here’s the thing: those same glasses also quietly change lives in ways that are hard to deny.
How a blind artist uses meta-glasses to run a marathon run by strangers around the world
Clarke Reynolds, a 45-year-old blind artist from Havant known as “Mr Dot”, is believed to be attempting a world first this month. He runs the Brighton Marathon, remotely controlled by sighted volunteers who see his route in real time through his meta-AI glasses (via BBC).
Reynolds suffers from the hereditary disease retinitis pigmentosa and describes his vision as looking underwater – shapes, shadows and some color. After a sudden diagnosis, he lost his driver’s license 13 years ago and has since made Braille an art, teaching it in schools and holding solo exhibitions.
He previously ran the London Marathon tethered to a physical support runner, but found this frustrating as the stride patterns were not coordinated and there were difficulties with scheduling.
This time, he’ll use the Be My Eyes app by saying, “Hey Meta, come and be my eyes,” which connects him to a worldwide network of volunteer strangers who can see through his glasses and guide him in real time.
The big picture behind Reynolds’ marathon bid
Fight for Sight, the vision loss charity he represents as an ambassador, is coordinating volunteers for race day. There will also be a backup guide runner in case the technology fails.
Reynolds says the glasses have already expanded his capabilities – he has used them in art galleries and had paintings described to him in the voice of Dame Judi Dench.
His fundraising target, which started at £750, has risen to £2,000 following donations including one from Be My Eyes itself. The goal on race day is to cross the finish line within six hours.
Metas glasses can still pose significant privacy disadvantages. But Reynolds’ story is a useful reminder that the same technology that is concerning in one context can be quietly transformative in another.
