Gesture-controlled computing is well on its way to transitioning from fantasy to reality.
It's most often accomplished via vision sensors that watch you or your hands and track your movement (think Microsoft
Kinect for
Xbox).
Myo, however, is a gesture controlled armband that reads forearm muscle movement to interpret a wide range of intentions.
With its matte-black rubber covering, zigzag bands and block-like contact and sensor modules, Myo, which was designed by Thalmic labs, looks less like an interface-control device than one of Batman’s nifty “toys.” (You can get it in white, too, but why would you?)
With it wrapped firmly around your forearm, you can use it to control a presentation, play music in iTunes, control
Netflix and even steer a Bluetooth-based toy. At least that's the promise. In practice, Myo fulfills the first task with ease, but — not always through fault of its own — proved more challenging on others.
Easy setup
Myo doesn't come with a lot of instruction, but it really doesn't need it. You start by downloading the device software and then connecting the device via a USB cable to your computer. There's also a small USB Bluetooth dongle that you'll have to leave plugged into your computer. Even though Myo is a Bluetooth 4.0 device, it can't talk directly to your computer's built in Bluetooth radio.
Once Myo is fully charged and setup, you won't have to plug in again until you need another charge. One charge lasts a couple of days. There’s no physical on-off switch on the device, but you can turn it off through the utility app.
Myo works by sensing changes in the muscles in your forearm.This means you have to learn some specific moves to use it to control applications and devices.
The most critical one is the synch gesture. You put your arm and hand against your body — like it's in a sling — turn your hand out away from your body and then move your forearm away from your body.
I know, it sounds complex, but it's not. I put the band on a co-worker and he learned the move within seconds.
As I mentioned, the Myo band fits snugly over the thickest part of your forearm and you cannot wear it over a shirt. After a half hour or so, it can get a little uncomfortable. But you're not supposed to wear it all day — just when you want motion control. I had someone with a larger forearm than me try it out and he said it felt fine, though he would not wear it if he didn't have to. Another co-worker remarked that it felt like it cut off his circulation and his fingers were tingling a bit after wearing it for a while. Without a snug fit on the arm, though, Myo’s sensors would not work. To fit smaller forearms, Myo comes with tiny clamps that pull the rubberized rectangles closer together.
The device software installs a little utility manager that offers constant Myo status updates just above the Windows Task Tray. It can show you what gesture it thinks you're making (waving, fist clenching, tapping, spreading your fingers wide), when you've successfully synced and if Myo is warmed up.
Myo does take a little time to warm up. Actually, not the technology inside Myo, but its metal contacts that encircle your skin; they work best when they're warmed up. That takes a minute or two, and can get annoying when you're ready and Myo is not.
Myo itself also lets you know that it's recognizing your gestures by gently vibrating.
A gesture away
The nice thing about Myo is that you don't have to do much to make it work. Its best use, by far, is for controlling presentations.
Imagine setting up your laptop, stepping away from the computer and the big screen and controlling your presentation with little hand gestures. Myo will fit under a jacket so no one will know how you're doing it. Tapping your thumb and middle finger together will advance the slides and bending your wrist and pointing your fingers toward your belly will make the slides go back.
You can also turn your hand into a "laser pointer" by squeezing your fist tight. A little red dot will show up on top of the slide. You keep your hand squeezed to moved it around on the screen.
All of this worked almost perfectly on my PowerPoint presentation. I did have to learn to tap my fingers together with some force, but I got used to it.
Do more
Myo is not just for presentations. Ultimately, anything you control through a mouse, could be controlled via Myo with the right software. Developers write little downloadable add-ons that you can then be turned on and off via Myo Application management interface.
Some are silly, like the one that lets you control a virtual sock puppet. Others, like the Netflix control, are more practical. Unfortunately, I could not always get these apps to work.
On Netflix, for example, I could never get it to control anything on screen (it only works for the web version of Netflix and not for the Windows app) — an issue likely caused by early software and one that an update could easily fix. Similarly, I could not get the Skype for Windows connector to work.
$199 seems like a lot to pay for gesture-based control of your next presentation, especially when you compare it to the $80
Leap Motion, which doesn't require you to wear anything, but really only detects hands and fingers.
Myo will eventually do so more, though. It already had over 90 downloadable applications and application plug-ins including ones for Reddit, Adobe Lightroom, imgur and games like Need for Speed Most Wanted.
There's a custom shooting game, which is designed a bit like Galaxion, too. The game gives you a virtual gun that you aim by moving around your arm. You shoot by clenching your fist. It was pretty entertaining. It also proves that there’s more to Myo than presentations.
Previous Article
