Wearable Tech

Let Your Muscles Do The Talking: Myo Armband Released

Myo is an armband which combines gesture controls and muscle response in order to give its users the ability to control practically anything. The armband controls things on your desktop personal computer and mobile OS platforms alike. The software is 0.4.0. version and you can you connect it to your computer by using Bluetooth. Its manufacturer Thalmic Labs released the band just recently and it is now available via Amazon.com.

How Does The Myo Armband Work?

It works on the principle of detecting the electrical impulses sent to people’s muscles when they move their arm. Following with translating the gestures a person makes with his fingers, hand or an arm into commands to a personal computer. The band has no power button; it turns on as soon as you pick it up and turns off when left alone for a while. The battery will last even up to 14 hours of continuous use. Quite impressive. The device does not use cameras in order to capture motion unlike some other wearable gadgets that recognize gesture, which makes it more responsive and sensitive.

Setting Up The Myo Armband

It is quite easy to set up a Myo armband. All you have to do is to put the band on your forearm, and let the software walk you through a stream of training gestures in order to get acquainted with the interface. All the gestures are pretty basic, like touching your thumb and pinky finger together. There is a chance you will need to reposition your arm or perhaps the armband in order to get the armband to recognize the gestures; it is quite simple and easy once you realize how it operates. In case, if your forearm is small, you need not worry because the box includes special sizing clips. However, the armband usually fits perfectly. If you have a bigger forearm, the armband might get uncomfortable after an hour of use.

Things you can do with Myo are pretty simple and straightforward. You will be able to flick your wrist which will allow you to control presentations, you will be able to clench your fist which will give you access to adjust the volume. You will also be able to manipulate things such as Netflix and iTunes. However, multitasking will not be an option due to the level of focus you have to possess to be able to control anything. This is just the beginning and the version that will come in the future will probably have many new things to introduce.

Myo is not complete, and it will take some time before we will be able to see the things of higher interest, but Myo has a bright future ahead.

Design

The thickness of the device has been increased by half, and the weight reduced to only 93 grams. In addition, its design has increased its cool-factor. The band has increased the sensor performance. The Myo armband is made from medical stainless steel. It comes it two colors, black and white.

Specifications

The Myo armband is compatible with Windows 7 and 8, Mac OS X 10.8, and iOS 7.0 and higher. It is also compatible with Android 4.3 and higher. The device has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery and micro-USB charging. The battery is of high quality and can last from 10 to 14 hours of continuous use. That is quite impressive and not many devices are capable to operate that long and with such high efficiently.

Now Available To Consumers Worldwide

The Myo armband has been used in the B2B marketplace for months now, but just recently it became available for purchase worldwide. In addition to being available via Amazon.com, its manufacturers are looking forward to getting their product in the hands of people who are interested and have a desire to transform the way they interact with technology.

The device is still mostly used by developers as an accessory to play video games. However, this band has been on a very short list of gadgets to keep an eye on. The manufacturer of the band, Thalmic Labs hopes to show off some mobile integration this year. We can expect a lot from these guys in the future.