A cuff for your thoughts

Facebook Reality Labs prototype. © Facebook.

Imagine doing something at the flip of a twitch. Facebook gave a preview of a cuff that translates your brain’s motor signals so you can move a virtual object just by thinking about the motion. The as yet unnamed wristband uses electromyography (EMG) to decode the electrical activity of motor nerves as they send signals that travel from the brain to your hand. For example, it would allow you to navigate a computer menu in augmented reality by simply thinking of moving your index finger to scroll it. It is based on technology from CTRL-Labs, a New York-based startup founded by two neuroscientists, Thomas Reardon and Patrick Kaifosh, which Facebook acquired in 2019. The wristband, which looks like an oversized fitness-watch, also offers haptic feedback that allows the system to communicate with the user and make virtual objects feel tangible. The product is still in the research and development phase in the laboratories of Facebook Reality Labs. No word yet as to when it will be on the market or how much it will cost.

⇨ The Verge, Sasha Lekach, “Facebook shows off how you’ll use its neural wristbands with AR glasses.”

⇨ Tech@Facebook, “Inside Facebook Reality Labs: Wrist-based interaction for the next computing platform.”

2021-03-18