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Put it on the wrist and you'll be able to send a message on a computer by just writing in the air.
Researchers at Meta are developing a wristband that allows the wearer to control a computer with hand gestures.
And with enough practice, you'll even be able to move your cursor by simply producing the right thought.
“You don’t have to actually move. You just have to intend the move,” Thomas Reardon, the Meta vice president of research who leads the project, was quoted saying in The New York Times.
This wristband detects electrical signals generated by muscle activity via technique called surface electromyography (sEMG). These signals are produced by neurons in the spinal cord — called alpha motor neurons — that connect to individual muscle fibers, and they can sense a person's actions even before they act on them.
And because these neurons connect directly to the muscle fibers, the electrical signals are so strong, they can be read from outside the skin.
The wristband is designed to provide less invasive tools for people with motor disabilities to interact with computers. This technology doesn't require surgery or some sort of neural implant to use. Anyone can strap on the device and start using it.
Meta is collaborating with Carnergie Mellon, a university in Pennsylvania, United States, to test the wristband with people who have spinal cord injuries.
A professor, Douglas Weber, observed that even people with complete hand paralysis still exhibit some muscle activity. In turn, the device is able to interpret user movements.
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