Facebook latest Flex: Neural Wristbands with AR glasses

Facebook has offered a glimpse inside its plans for a new augmented reality interface, based on technology from CTRL-Labs, the startup it 2019. In a video, it shows off wristbands that use electromyography (EMG) to translate subtle neural signals into actions — like typing, swiping, or playing games like an archery simulator. The bands also offer haptic feedback, creating a system that’s more responsive than basic hand tracking options.

Facebook Reality Labs published a blog detailing its work on a prototype of the wristbands. At its simplest, the bands would track basic gestures Facebook calls “clicks,” which are supposed to be reliable and easy to execute. They’re a little bit like the all-purpose Microsoft HoloLens air tap gesture but tracked with the nerve signals that run along your arms, rather than visual sensors mounted on a headset.

The bands can theoretically do a lot more, though. For instance, they could track the nerve signals your brain sends to your fingers while you’re typing, so you can type on a virtual keyboard without physical buttons. And unlike a normal keyboard, the bands can slowly adapt to the way you type — so they can “learn” the ways your fingers move when you’re making common typos, then automatically correct for them and capture what you probably meant to type instead.

This would be a huge change in how most people interact with computers, but conceptually, it’s not actually a major update In fact, the ultimate possibilities for EMG wristbands are much more mind-bending: eventually, you could perform the same typing-style gestures by thinking about moving your hands instead of actually moving them. Facebook wants to further streamline user interactions by relying on artificial intelligence and augmented reality glasses.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/18/22338008/facebook-reality-labs-emg-wristbands-ctrl-labs-ar-interface-demo