Control digital devices with gestures from your fingers and hands

As a kid you might have imagined having the ability to move objects from across the room with simple hand gestures. Whatever you wanted, it was yours, no matter what got in the way. Whoever said that had to change once you became an adult? The Myo Gesture Control Armband from Thalmic Labs is an innovative input device that communicates with your Mac, PC, tablet or phone via Bluetooth 4.0 and uses proprietary muscle sensors and a 6-axis motion sensor to track your movement.

Wirelessly interact with digital devices using just your fingers and hands with the Myo armband. Image via thalmic.com.

The Myo allows users to wirelessly control and interact with digital devices using just their fingers and hands. Impressively, this muscle activity-based gesture control device doesn't require any cameras to track hand or arm movements, but instead it relies on Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy to communicate with paired devices. Aside from the muscle sensors and 6-axis motion sensor, specs include an ARM processor and on-board rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Because the Myo is worn on the user, it reads the electrical signals produced in the muscles of the arm and cross references that data with a 9-axis inertial measurements unit (IMU), which includes a gyroscope, magnetometer, and an accelerometer.The Myo has an adjustable band so it can accommodate just about everyone.

The Myo uses proprietary muscle sensors and a 6-axis motion sensor to track movement. Image via gameryard.org.

To prevent accidents, the Myo uses a unique on/off gesture to enable and disable control. When it's enabled and detecting movement, it will alert the user via vibration. Potential applications include business presentations, gaming, healthcare, remote control, and industrial machinery and automation control.

Because of the advanced technology used to create the Myo, your buried dreams of having super powers can (somewhat) come alive. Thalmic Labs will begin shipping Myo developer kits and final units in early 2014. The Myo is currently priced at $149.

To pre-order your Myo armband, visit thalmic.com.