The FBI has revealed that the attacker who drove a truck through New Orleans’ Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day used Meta smart glasses to scout the scene weeks earlier. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was wearing the smart glasses, recorded video while he bicycled through the French Quarter in October. The FBI said that Jabbar did not activate the smart glasses during the attack, but did wear them as part of his reconnaissance.
The Meta smart glasses are a relatively new product, released in collaboration with Ray-Ban, and can be purchased at Best Buy, Target, and T-Mobile, among other retailers. The glasses are part of a wider industry push towards hands-free, wearable technology, and can record video and photos, as well as use artificial intelligence to answer user questions about their surroundings.
The glasses also include a feature that lets bystanders know when the user is taking a photo or recording a video, with a small LED light that shines white when the camera is in use. Meta has also announced a new, more advanced version of the glasses called Orion, which incorporates augmented reality technology, allowing users to see holograms, such as text messages or emails, floating in space around them.