The Thalmic Labs Myo Gesture Control device is a one-size fits all arm band that tracks muscular and dimensional movement, converting it to user input suitable for various applications … such as a smartwatch. “Unleash your inner Jedi!” The Thalmic Labs mantra might actually be a fair description of what the Myo can help you digitally achieve … absent the Midi-Chlorians of course.
The Thalmic Labs Myo contains an arm processor, communicates wirelessly via Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, and is powered by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Upon arrival, the Myo will be fully compatible with both Windows and OS X. iOS and Android compatibility will follow with Thalmic Labs’ API release and corresponding launch of their proprietary developer site.
Employing an array of sensors to monitor movement, the Myo tracks data via two channels: 1) electrical impulses generated from muscular activity and 2) axial motion of the band itself. The device is sensitive enough to detect individual finger movement and can track subtle movements of the band in 3 dimensions. With the proper application, this could be highly usefully as your arm basically becomes a virtual five-button mouse.
As the Thalmic Labs’ website demonstrates, the Myo is ready for a myriad of applications including presentation control, video game integration, music creation, web browsing, steering remote control objects and more. It will be interesting to see what else developers come up with once they have the device in hand.
It appears that the Myo, at least pre-release, is going to be a fun little toy … and possibly, with the right seamless app integration, a productive tool. However, the truly great everyday use potential of Myo is not in its current form … it is in its technology. If Thalmic Labs can license its intellectual property to a company such as Apple for inclusion in a device like the oft rumored iWatch, Myo technology could truly revolutionize the way that we interact with our digital devices on a daily basis. Combined with Siri voice and Microsoft Kinect like spatial monitoring, this just might be the future of user interfaces … just in time to hook it up to my Xbox 720 😉
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PRICE – $149
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Source
Thalmic Labs Myo: [Company Website]
