Meta and Anduril Team Up for Military XR
Meta and Anduril have announced a partnership to develop extended reality (XR) headsets for the U.S. military under the Soldier Borne Mission Command Next (SBMC) program. This collaboration reunites Meta with Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey, who previously founded Oculus VR.
A New Chapter for Military XR
The partnership marks a significant step in the evolution of the SBMC program, formerly known as the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) Next. Anduril took over management of the program from Microsoft earlier this year. This new collaboration aims to provide soldiers with real-time battlefield intelligence through advanced XR headsets.
“I am glad to be working with Meta once again,” Luckey stated. “My mission has long been to turn warfighters into technomancers, and the products we are building with Meta do just that.”
The headsets will utilize technology from Meta's Reality Labs research center, incorporating Meta's Llma AI model and integrating with Anduril's Lattice command and control software. This combination aims to create a powerful ecosystem of XR devices for military applications.
From Oculus to Anduril: Luckey's Journey
This partnership represents a full-circle moment for Luckey. After selling Oculus to Facebook (now Meta) for $2 billion, Luckey was later dismissed from the company. He then co-founded Anduril, focusing on defense technology. The new collaboration with Meta brings Luckey back into the fold of XR development, albeit in a new context.
The new product family, dubbed EagleEye, represents a long-held vision for Luckey. He initially envisioned a headset with this name during Anduril's early stages. This partnership now allows him to realize that vision.
Following the announcement, Luckey expressed his enthusiasm on social media, highlighting the combined resources and expertise now available for this joint effort. He also noted the launch of an Anduril Facebook page, further signaling a renewed relationship with Meta.
