Latest Updates on Anduril’s ‘Eagle Eye’ Military XR Headset and the Founder’s Return to Meta

Oh boy, where do I even start with this? So, Palmer Luckey, yeah? That guy who kick-started Oculus, which then… oh yeah, got picked up by Meta. Anyway, his new gig, Anduril, is buddying up with Meta to whip up some top-tier AR and VR tech for the military. Who saw that coming?

So, there’s this new gadget, codenamed ‘Eagle Eye’—and let me tell you, it’s not your average headgear. They’re talking about a full-on helmet with XR capabilities. Picture this: protection from all things dangerous, built-in computing power, radios, vision enhancement. It’s got the works—pretty sure it’s every nerd’s dream come true.

Luckey spilled the beans on a couple of podcasts, and I have no idea why I’m dive-heaving into this, but hey, we’re here. He mentioned working with Meta to use their fancy tech as building blocks, which is smart because, let’s face it, reinventing the wheel is old news. He also hinted at the design being flexible. Different hats for different folks, I guess? From frontline warriors to the dude fixing airplanes. Seams in the image? It’s like, no biggie unless you’re picky with consumer-grade stuff. But for saving lives, you make do, right?

The dang thing’s got a price tag, though. Over $10,000, if you can swallow that. But if it’s life or death, money talks, right? Luckey’s geeked out about being able to chuck in all the high-grade tech that’s usually a no-go for your average Joe.

Oh! And AI, can’t forget that. It’s like having that Halo AI, Cortana, cozied up in your helmet, watching your back. Honestly, I’d mess up jotting everything down, but Luckey’s focus was on the helmet making life easier, not harder. It’s all about seamless tech so soldiers aren’t scrabbling through menus in the field. Probably a good call, I’d say.

There’s more—manufacturing’s a big topic. No Chinese parts—security and all that jazz. First prototypes? Coming this year. Fingers crossed, I suppose.

And then there’s the rollercoaster with Meta. Fired, but then back at the table says a lot. Zuckerberg popped a surprisingly warm quote in an article about Luckey. Next thing you know, they’re working through issues around tech and national security like old pals. He’s pretty chill about the past drama. New partnerships, new beginnings, or so they say.

The whole shebang means the tech developed can loop back to consumer gadgets—hopefully. That’s the plan with partners Meta and Qualcomm. And hey, maybe it’ll kick Microsoft’s IVAS system to the curb. Or maybe not. Anyway, that’s the buzz.