As Meta faces antitrust investigations over its acquisition of VR fitness developer Within, the tech giant is making another acquisition. Meta has confirmed to TechCrunch that it will acquire Dutch-based smart eyewear company Luxexcel. The terms of the deal, first reported in the Belgian newspaper De Tijd, were not disclosed.
Founded in 2009, Luxexcel uses 3D printing to manufacture prescription lenses for eyeglasses. Recently, we are focusing on smart lenses that can be printed with integrated technologies such as LCD displays and holographic films.
“We are excited to have the Luxexcel team join Meta and deepen the existing partnership between our two companies,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch. Rumor has it that they were already working together on one Project Aria.
In September 2021, Meta announced Ray-Ban Stories. This is a smart glasses that can take pictures, videos and make hands-free voice-controlled calls using Meta platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook. By acquiring Luxexcel, Meta will likely leverage the company’s technology to manufacture prescription AR glasses, a product long expected to come from Meta’s multi-billion dollar investment in Reality Labs. It was done. However, a report this summer said Meta was scaling back its plans for consumer AR glasses originally scheduled for 2024. Meta did not comment on these rumors at the time.
When building AR and VR products, Meta’s corporate strategy was to acquire smaller companies that were building the best technology in the space. Even Meta’s flagship headset, the Quest, came out of his 2014 acquisition of Oculus. Given that the FTC is trying to block Meta’s purchase of Within, a Luxexcel purchase could trigger the same scrutiny.
