snap to release lightweight AR glasses that double as a wearable computer

Snap AR glasses with see-through lenses

Snap Inc. has announced the release of its new lightweight AR glasses with see-through lenses that double as a wearable computer. Unveiled at the Augmented World Expo 2025, the immersive Specs is slated for a 2026 release with a slew of features as part of the upcoming Snap OS update. With the Snap AR glasses and their see-through lenses, users can translate 2D information into 3D floating objects before their eyes using the integrated language models, including OpenAI and Gemini. There’s also a real-time transcription for around 40 languages, and it can understand even the non-native accents with ‘high accuracy.’ For developers, they can generate 3D objects while they’re wearing the glasses and remotely monitor and manage multiple pairs of Specs.

In line with the recent announcement, the Snap Spectacles, which are a pair of AR glasses, also have lenses that generate the images and sounds of the book the user is reading. Named Augmented Reading Lenses, it’s a collaboration between the National Library Board of Singapore and Snap Inc., with LePub Singapore as the campaign’s production lead. These Snap AR glasses and lenses use real-time OCR, or the conversion of typed text into a digital format, and generative AI to produce the visuals. The device already has stereo speakers, so the soundscapes are a natural addition to the reading experience.

Sounds play as the user reads the text

The Snap AR glasses and lenses use text recognition and machine learning to see the content the user is reading and activate the related visuals and sounds. First, the device scans the printed text as the user reads. Then, the images float before their eyes, accompanied by the sound effects linked to specific words or scenes. In this case, when the book describes a kind of environmental or action sound, like doors opening, the Snap AR glasses with these new lenses play that audio right into the speakers. 

So far, the company and the library say that the visuals appear in time for what the user is reading. Once they look up from the page, they can see the images depicted in the text in their field of vision. The National Library Board of Singapore adds that the project is a part of its initiative to use technology as a way to engage more people to read books. The teams have collaborated with LeGarage, the innovation branch of LePub Singapore, to help develop the reading experience and campaign of the Snap AR glasses and lenses. At the present time, they plan to roll out the beta-testing devices later in 2025 in Singapore to gather feedback before the public rollout.

The story was updated on June 11th, 2025, to include the announcement on the 2026 Specs AR glasses.

project info:

name: Augmented Reading Lenses

companies: Snap Inc., Snap AR Studio, LePub Singapore | @spectacles, @lepub_worldwide

library: National Library Board of Singapore | @nlbsingapore

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.