Meta Collaborates with Former Oculus Founder’s Company to Develop Top AR and VR Systems for US Military

Alright, let’s get into this rollercoaster of tech collaborations, shall we? So, Palmer Luckey, a name that you’d probably recognize if you’ve ever slapped on a VR headset, is making headlines again. This time, his gig over at Anduril is teaming up with Meta to whip up some top-secret AR and VR wizardry for the US military. Seriously, talk about a plot twist.

Palmer’s the guy who started Oculus back in 2012. Remember the Rift headset? Yeah, that was his brainchild. It was doing pretty well… like, in that “Facebook buys you for over $2 billion” kind of way in 2014. But things got twisty, as they do. Politics and big business mixed like oil and water, and Palmer found himself outta there. Fast forward, and he’s kicking it at Anduril, a tech-defense startup climbing the valuation ladder.

Anduril wasn’t just tinkering with military gadgets like drones but also dabbling in XR tech. Cue the suspenseful music, and they grabbed Microsoft’s struggling IVAS program to crank out some advanced AR helmets for the Army. I suppose switching gears from game-watching to battlefield-ready is…interesting? Or maybe I just find military stuff oddly fascinating — who knows.

Now, here comes the kicker: Anduril and Meta are shaking hands again to create what they call the best AR and VR systems for the military. It’s a fancy way of saying they want soldiers to look like something out of a sci-fi movie. Meta’s past drama with Luckey didn’t stop Mark Zuckerberg and his CTO sidekick Andrew “Boz” Bosworth from jumping in with both feet.

Palmer cites that he’s jazzed to team back up with Meta. Dual-use tech — you know, stuff that’s good for both civilians and the military — gets him pumped. Techno-wizard soldiers? Sure, why not. Their partnership draws on years of investing in high-tech hardware, promising big savings with tech initially meant for us common folks.

And don’t forget those billion-dollar programs! IVAS is a massive $20 billion deal, with Anduril stepping in for Microsoft. Meta’s now in the frame too, lending some of its tech magic. So, what’s next? Who knows! But isn’t that what makes it all so fascinating?