Meta is teaming up with defense contractor Anduril to create artificial intelligence-powered virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets for the US military. The devices will integrate with Anduril’s AI command and control system, the Lattice platform, providing real-time battlefield intelligence.
The project aims to give soldiers “enhanced perception” and “intuitive control of autonomous platforms” during missions. Anduril stated, > “This integration will transform how warfighters see, sense, and integrate battlefield information, providing immersive technology solutions that enhance tactical decision-making in combat scenarios.”
Source: Palmer Luckey 
Funding for the project comes from private capital. The goal? Repurpose commercial tech for military applications. Meta has already invested $40 billion into VR and AR technology since the launch of its metaverse vision in October 2021.
Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey, who also co-founded Oculus VR, stated in a recent X post: > “We have been working together on a variety of things for a while now, but the first one to go public will be EagleEye, the system I hope will go on to become the next Soldier Borne Mission Command for the Army.”
Source: Palmer Luckey
Microsoft initially landed the military contract in 2018 for developing AR headsets based on its HoloLens tech. However, in February, Microsoft confirmed that Anduril would take the lead, though it would maintain its role as the cloud provider.
In November, Meta also opened access to its large language model, Llama, for US military and defense contractors. This aligns with a growing trend of tech firms like Anthropic and Palantir getting involved in defense and intelligence capabilities.
Stay tuned as this partnership could change the battlefield landscape.
