Facebook develops neural wristband that converts hand gestures and neural signals into actions

Facebook has showcased a new type of technology in the form of a neural wristband, which will help people interact better with Augmented Reality (AR). The new wristband, with the help of EMG (electromyography), will convert neural signals into actions to perform various tasks. The new tech is also a ‘natural and intuitive’ way that will work with the Facebook AR Glasses. The new neural wristband is developed by CTRL-Labs, a startup acquired by Facebook in 2019. The band will convert hand gestures and neural signals into actions with the help of EMG. [caption id=“attachment_9448331” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The band will track users’ nerve signals instead of visual sensors. Image: Facebook[/caption] The wristband will be able to track ‘Clicks,’ which is a movement-based gesture that involves touching the index finger and the thumb simultaneously. The band will track users’ nerve signals instead of visual sensors. This has been demonstrated via a video. Go ahead, have a look:

In a blog post, Thomas Reardon, Facebook Reality Labs (FRL) Director of Neuromotor,  said, “What we’re trying to do with neural interfaces is to let you control the machine directly, using the output of the peripheral nervous system — specifically the nerves outside the brain that animate your hand and finger muscles.” With this, users will be able to perform actions such as playing games, typing, swiping, and more. This tech is expected to eventually evolve and allow people to control virtual UIs and objects in the AR world. And in the future, tech is expected to allow for high-speed typing on the lap with the help of EMG, better than the keyboard today. Facebook suggests that wristbands will only decode the wrist signals that have been decided, and will then convert them into actions. It is said to be a much faster way of acting on instructions.