Myo brings a new twist on gesture control for Macs, PCs

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Thalmic Labs on Monday announced the availability of a new peripheral called MYO, an armband that allows users to control a Mac, PC, or other device with gestures.



The Myo (via MacRumors) fits around a user's arm just below the elbow. Users have access to a range of controls, allowing them to navigate pages by swiping in the air with two fingers, stop tracks in iTunes by clenching a fist, control first person shooters by mimicking a gun, and more.

Myo's range of gesture controls stems from the device's monitoring of the electrical signals passing through the arm muscles of its wearer. Different arm and hand motions require different muscle movements, and the device's sensors pick up on the different electrical activity, translating it into digital commands.

Myo


The device's developers claim that it will work out of the box with Mac and Windows machines. APIs for iOS and Android devices are also said to be in the works.

The Myo is available for pre-order now. Units cost $149 each, and Thalmic Labs says they're in limited supply. Pre-orders are expected to ship in late 2013.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 28


    Cool, but I'm not sure the preorder button is working. Submitted info and clicked the button, but received no acknowledgment or confirmation. In fact, the page is still frozen with the PREORDER MYO button showing it's been "pressed." After several minutes, I refreshed the page and my info disappeared. Too bad there's no way to contact Myo on its website.

  • Reply 2 of 28


    Oh my God, this is so Amazing! (Nerdgasm!)

  • Reply 3 of 28
    Haha, that's pretty cool!
  • Reply 4 of 28
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    OMG I want one ... although I am expecting the jokes to start soon such as ... "It is strongly advised that users refrain from picking their nose whilst wearing the device."
  • Reply 5 of 28


    Finally.  A way to detect relatively subtle finger and hand gestures.  I hope they do well and/or get bought by Apple.  (As opposed to being crushed by a competitor.)

  • Reply 6 of 28
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Those companies heavily invested in camera based interactivity must be lining up outside the toilet about now.
  • Reply 7 of 28
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    sockrolid wrote: »
    Finally.  A way to detect relatively subtle finger and hand gestures.  I hope they do well and/or get bought by Apple.  (As opposed to being crushed by a competitor.)

    I agree on the Apple interest before some others we won't mention take this and make it proprietary. I hope Apple do this first :D

    The possibilities for those with physical handicaps must be exciting!
  • Reply 8 of 28
    xgmanxgman Posts: 159member
    very cool idea.
  • Reply 9 of 28


    I wonder if Apple has any IP on this type of stuff. If not, incorporating something like this into an iWatch-type device would be nice. I was surprised when they didn't acquire Leap Motion and assumed that they had their own touch-less/voice-less interface in the works. 

  • Reply 10 of 28
    Given the need for the band, this seems considerably less convenient than the Leap alternative. https://www.leapmotion.com

    They appear to be solving the same problem.
  • Reply 11 of 28
    I'm #1038 in line for a MYO from @thalmic! http://getmyo.com #getmyo
  • Reply 12 of 28
    Well Leap is designed to be tied to your desktop, but this is for any and every device that supports bluetooth tech IMO
  • Reply 13 of 28
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Look at that, people who didn't care for Google Glass and were piled upon by trolls as Apple fanboys who laid claim that if Apple made it they would love it are impressed by technology that isn't made by Apple. Funny how reality seems to ripping the trolls' arguments to shreds.

    That is a very impressive video. It looks like a real video to me, and not just a CGI-laden concept video, but I can't be certain. What I am certain is that I'm excited by this idea but hope that it can evolve to being worn on the wrist. Perhaps the extra circumference is needed for the bulk of the HW or its ability to register your electrical signals require the bulky brachial and flexor muscles, but I see no reason this can't eventually be made smaller and more sensitive.
  • Reply 14 of 28
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member


    Sounds a bit too similar to a Microsoft patent filing from over two years ago. If they're successful they may find themselves on MS radar.


     


    http://bgr.com/2010/01/01/microsoft-files-patent-for-muscle-based-computer-controls/



     


    .... and it sounds almost exactly like this NASA project, dating back at least as far as 2007.


    http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/technology-onepagers/human_senses.html


     


    Cool stuff! Hopefully software patent claims from one of the big boys doesn't kill ' Thalmic

  • Reply 15 of 28


    Sweet, I just put in a pre-order for a Leap for work. Thanks for bringing it to my attention :)

  • Reply 16 of 28
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    I'm #1038 in line for a MYO from @thalmic! http://getmyo.com #getmyo

    I was on the site ready to order then paused and thought ... however exciting, what would I really use it for? So I didn't order yet. I am waiting till I can get the small armored tank to control before getting mine.
  • Reply 17 of 28
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    gatorguy wrote: »
    Sounds a bit too similar to a Microsoft patent filing from over two years ago. If they're successful they may find themselves on MS radar.

    http://bgr.com/2010/01/01/microsoft-files-patent-for-muscle-based-computer-controls/
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=R1agrUM4KYs

    .... and it sounds almost exactly like this NASA project, dating back at least as far as 2007.
    http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/research/technology-onepagers/human_senses.html

    Cool stuff! Hopefully software patent claims from one of the big boys doesn't kill ' Thalmic

    Re the MS link. I know it was a prototype and all that but I had to chuckle. While the Myo looks so what'd we'd expect from Apple or even dare I say Scamsung, that wiring set up on the Microsoft video looks so like something from Microsoft doesn't it? Reminds me of Microsoft's $10,000, 198 lb original Surface vis a vis an iPad. :D
  • Reply 18 of 28
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    Look at that, people who didn't care for Google Glass and were piled upon by trolls as Apple fanboys who laid claim that if Apple made it they would love it are impressed by technology that isn't made by Apple. Funny how reality seems to ripping the trolls' arguments to shreds.

    That is a very impressive video. It looks like a real video to me, and not just a CGI-laden concept video, but I can't be certain. What I am certain is that I'm excited by this idea but hope that it can evolve to being worn on the wrist. Perhaps the extra circumference is needed for the bulk of the HW or its ability to register your electrical signals require the bulky brachial and flexor muscles, but I see no reason this can't eventually be made smaller and more sensitive.

    The first part: To really test that argument / theory we'd have to know what we Apple fans would have said had Myo been a Google device ... I know I'd have hated it on sight. :D
  • Reply 19 of 28
    Why?
  • Reply 20 of 28
    wigbywigby Posts: 692member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    Look at that, people who didn't care for Google Glass and were piled upon by trolls as Apple fanboys who laid claim that if Apple made it they would love it are impressed by technology that isn't made by Apple. Funny how reality seems to ripping the trolls' arguments to shreds.

    That is a very impressive video. It looks like a real video to me, and not just a CGI-laden concept video, but I can't be certain. What I am certain is that I'm excited by this idea but hope that it can evolve to being worn on the wrist. Perhaps the extra circumference is needed for the bulk of the HW or its ability to register your electrical signals require the bulky brachial and flexor muscles, but I see no reason this can't eventually be made smaller and more sensitive.
    You're precisely the customer they're gunning for. You're getting excited over a video that demonstrates nothing useful. I would wager they spent equal amounts of money on the video and tech. But I can't think of a single useful thing to do with this tech. At least google glass lets you "interact" with the world hands free - not a good gena use tech but good for a few specific applications. This tech requires your hands and arms when there are many better suited I/O means. And while there is no fake CG, all of these examples illustrated are completely staged. There was someone flying the AR Parrot drone off camera, the 3rd person shooter game was just choreographed, etc. Why? Because its a lot easier to fake those things than really write and test code for ridiculous examples that no one would pay for.
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