In a world where our smartphones have become external brains, Brilliant Labs is proposing something more closer: glasses that we never forget. The Montreal-based startup, led by former Apple engineer Bobak Tavangar, has unveiled Halo AI-powered smart glasses that claim to remember everything you see, hear, and experience for decades to come.

At first glance, Halo looks deceptively ordinary. Weighing just 40 grams about the same as traditional eyeglasses, these spectacles conceal a sophisticated array of sensors, displays, and processing power. But beneath their unassuming exterior lies what could be the first true AI wearable: a device that promises to serve as an extension of human memory itself.

Meet Noa: The AI That Never Forgets

The heart of Halo is Noa, an AI agent designed to feel as natural as human conversation. Unlike traditional voice assistants that respond to specific commands, Noa engages in flowing conversations while continuously processing the wearer’s environment through sight and sound.

But Noa’s most compelling feature is its “Narrative” memory system, a breakthrough that sets Halo apart from competitors like Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses. Rather than storing raw audio or video files, Narrative creates structured, contextual memories that can be recalled even decades later. The system can remember names from brief encounters, recall conversation details, and track objects and locations over time.

“There’s a ton going on when it receives unstructured audio and video and other related contextual bits of data that it’s working autonomously in the background to connect those data pieces together,” Tavangar told reporters. This continuous background processing creates what amounts to a digital autobiography, accessible through simple voice queries.

The applications are profound. Forget someone’s name at a social gathering? Ask Noa. Can’t remember where you left your keys? Noa knows. Need to recall a conversation from months ago? The AI agent maintains that context indefinitely. For individuals experiencing memory challenges, whether from aging or medical conditions, this technology offers unprecedented assistance.

The Technology Behind Halo AI Glasses

When it comes to understanding what sets the Brilliant Labs Halo AI glasses apart, a close look at their technical specifications reveals why this device is attracting industry attention. Each component has been engineered with functionality, efficiency, and user adaptability in mind.

Display

Micro Color OLED Display

The Halo features a vibrant micro color OLED display, delivering high-quality visuals directly within your natural line of sight. This compact display is seamlessly integrated into the design to provide relevant information without obstructing your view.

AI Processor

Alif B1 Processor with Cortex-M55 CPU and NPU

At its core, Halo runs on an extremely low-power Alif B1 processor, which combines a Cortex-M55 CPU with a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU). This architecture is tailored for efficient on-device AI inference—meaning most data processing happens locally for performance and privacy.

Software

ZephyrOS and Cloud-Based AI

The glasses leverage ZephyrOS with a Lua programming interface for flexibility. There’s also a cross-platform mobile app, enabling users to manage settings and install updates. A cloud-based AI agent supports more advanced functionalities when connectivity is available, boosting the device’s potential for continual improvement.

Sound

Dual Bone Conduction Speakers

Halo utilizes two ultra-compact bone conduction speakers that deliver sound directly to the wearer without blocking the ears, keeping users aware of their surroundings while still receiving audio cues and responses from the AI.

Sensors

Optical and Motion Sensing

The system boasts an ultra-low-power optical sensor for visual AI inference, two microphones optimized for audio activity detection, and a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) that supports tap detection. Together, these sensors enable nuanced environmental awareness and user interaction.

Battery Life

14-Hour All-Day Performance

Halo is built for extended, real-world usage, with a battery that supports up to 14 hours of continuous operation—enough to get through a full day without needing a midday recharge.

Lenses

Optical Grade, Customizable Options

The standard lenses are equipped with an anti-reflective coating. For individual needs, prescription and sunglasses lens options are available, ensuring comfort, clarity, and versatility.

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.3

Modern connectivity is ensured via Bluetooth 5.3, supporting rapid, stable connections to smartphones and other compatible devices for updates and extended features.

Open-Source Approach

Hardware and Software Transparency

True to Brilliant Labs’ philosophy, both the hardware and software components are open source. This allows developers and enthusiasts to customize, audit, and enhance the device as they see fit.

Every element, from the energy-efficient processor to the open-source software, has been chosen to maximize usability while respecting privacy and personal freedom. The specification sheet demonstrates that Halo competes not just on looks, but on substance representing a new frontier in wearable AI technology.

Open-Source Philosophy in a Closed World

In an industry dominated by proprietary ecosystems, Brilliant Labs has taken a radically different approach. Halo represents what the company claims are the world’s first fully open-source AI glasses. All hardware documentation and software are freely available, allowing developers worldwide to create custom applications and modifications.

This philosophy extends to “Vibe Mode,” an experimental feature that lets users create personalized apps using only natural language commands. Rather than learning programming syntax, users can simply describe what they want, and Noa generates the code automatically. Want a navigation app tailored to your specific needs? Just tell Halo what you’re looking for, and it creates the application on the spot.

The open-source approach serves both idealistic and practical purposes. “This next generation of personal computing is one that we believe has to be built by all of us, not just a few people off in some design studio,” Tavangar stated. By democratizing development, Brilliant Labs hopes to accelerate innovation while avoiding the platform lock-in that characterizes today’s tech giants.

Technical Challenges and Real-World Performance

Despite its ambitious promises, Halo faces significant technical hurdles. The 14-hour battery life, while impressive for such a compact device, must power continuous AI processing, display operations, and sensor monitoring. The company claims this represents three times the battery performance of competing products, though real-world usage will ultimately determine these figures.

The optical display system also presents trade-offs. While the micro-LED provides full color and decent brightness, early descriptions suggest a deliberately low-power implementation that may limit visibility in bright outdoor conditions. The “retro arcade-style” interface, while functional, indicates a simpler visual approach compared to more immersive augmented reality systems.

Privacy concerns, despite the company’s assurances, remain valid. While Halo processes data locally, the mathematical representations it creates could potentially be reverse-engineered or accessed by malicious software. The open-source nature, while beneficial for transparency, also means security vulnerabilities could be more easily discovered and exploited.

Market Context and Competition

Halo enters a crowded but still nascent smart glasses market. Meta’s Ray-Ban collaboration has achieved mainstream recognition, focusing on social media integration and basic AI features. Ray-Ban Meta glasses offer photo and video capture, music playback, and voice assistant integration, but lack the persistent memory capabilities that define Halo.

Even Realities’ G1 glasses provide a similar minimalist aesthetic with display capabilities, while companies like Viture focus on entertainment and productivity applications. Halo’s positioning as a memory augmentation device creates a distinct market category, potentially appealing to professionals, students, and individuals seeking cognitive assistance.

The $299 price point positions Halo competitively against premium smart glasses while remaining accessible to early adopters. However, the limited production run following the same scarcity model as Brilliant Labs’ previous Frame glasses, suggests supply constraints that could limit market penetration.

Implications for Human-Computer Interaction

If successful, Halo could fundamentally alter how we interact with information and our environment. The concept of persistent, contextual memory represents a significant evolution from current AI assistants that treat each interaction in isolation. Instead of retrieving specific files or searching databases, users could access their entire experiential history through natural conversation.

This shift toward ambient computing where technology recedes into the background while remaining constantly available aligns with broader industry trends. However, Halo’s approach of augmenting human memory rather than replacing it offers a more intimate integration than smartphone-based solutions.

The social implications are equally significant. If widespread adoption occurs, these glasses could change how we form and maintain relationships, potentially reducing the cognitive effort required for social interaction while raising questions about authentic human connection.

Looking Toward November 2025

Brilliant Labs plans to begin shipping Halo globally in November 2025, though initial quantities will be limited. The company’s track record with the Frame glasses suggests strong interest among early adopters, but mass market success will depend on real-world performance and the development of a robust application ecosystem.

The true test will come when users integrate Halo into their daily routines. Can battery life sustain all-day use? Does the memory system prove genuinely useful, or merely a novelty? Will the open-source developer community embrace the platform and create compelling applications?

Perhaps most importantly, will people feel comfortable wearing devices that continuously monitor and remember their experiences? While Brilliant Labs has addressed technical privacy concerns, the psychological and social acceptance of such intimate technology remains uncertain.

Halo represents more than just another smart gadget it embodies a vision of technology as cognitive extension rather than external tool. Whether that vision becomes reality or remains an ambitious experiment will depend on execution, adoption, and society’s readiness for AI that truly never forgets. In a world increasingly concerned about digital privacy and surveillance, Brilliant Labs is betting that the promise of perfect memory will overcome fears of persistent monitoring. The glasses are expected to ship in matte black initially, with prescription lens options available through partnerships. For those ready to embrace a future where forgetting becomes optional, Halo offers a glimpse of what human-AI collaboration might ultimately become not just smarter devices, but genuine extensions of ourselves.

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