Meta’s smart bracelet works like keyboard and mouse
Meta and Reality Labs introduce the surface electromyography (sEMG) wristband, a smart bracelet that can replace and work as a keyboard and a mouse for computers and other devices. Instead of using keyboards, mice, or touchscreens, the wearable technology lets people control devices with small movements in their hands and fingers and by allowing the wristband to read signals from the muscles in the wrist. It is designed by Reality Labs, the augmented and virtual reality division of Meta, and works together with the company’s augmented reality glasses.
Meta’s smart bracelet, which works like a keyboard and mouse, resembles a band worn around the wrist, but inside each belt are sensors that can read the electrical signals from the wearer’s brain and send them to their hand muscles. These signals control movements like tapping, swiping, or pinching, and even if the user’s hand doesn’t move so much, the wristband can still understand what they want to do. These signals are then sent to the AI-powered device and turned into actions like opening apps, writing messages, or selecting something on a menu.
all images courtesy of Meta, Reality Labs, and the researchers
AI trained using data gathered from over 300 people
Meta and Reality Labs’ smart bracelet uses AI and machine learning to function. The teams say it has been trained using data from over 300 people who agreed to take part in research, meaning the system understands different hand shapes, skin types, and movement styles. The device, which works like a keyboard and mouse, functions for most people without an additional setup. It can also learn from personal use to become more accurate over time and improve how it understands handwriting by learning from a writing style. Users can even type a message without a keyboard by tapping their fingers slightly on a surface or desk.
They can also write by pretending to draw letters on a table or even their leg. Then, the system recognizes the letters as they move their hands and translates each movement into text on the screen. The teams say that their device is noninvasive, so there’s no need for any surgery or implants, as it reads signals directly from the skin contact. They add that it also works ‘quietly,’ which can be useful in case users can’t talk in private or public. Since it is replacing the keyboard and mouse for computers, Meta’s smart bracelet, then, is the only device to be used for these machines. So far, the teams have published their study, and they see the device as useful for people with physical disabilities to give them relieving ways to control their devices.
Meta and Reality Labs introduce the surface electromyography (sEMG) wristband
the wearable technology lets people control devices using signals from the muscles around the wrist
inside each belt are sensors that can read the electrical signals from the wearer’s brain
these signals control movements like tapping, swiping, or pinching
project info:
name: A generic non-invasive neuromotor interface for human-computer interaction
teams: Meta, Reality Labs | @meta, @realitylabs
researchers: Patrick Kaifosh, Thomas R. Reardon, CTRL-labs at Reality Labs
study: here
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