Control Media Like a Jedi With the MYO

[Marshall Honorof]

Control Media Like a Jedi With the MYO

A new Thalmic Labs product lets you control computers with hand gestures.

Motion control technology has not yet advanced to the point where you can summon a lightsaber with the power of your mind [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By-CKsffwKA], but if you're ready to unleash a slew of other Jedi tricks, Thalmic Labs has a controller for you. A new armband called the MYO from the tech startup lets users control computers simply by gesturing. In addition to simple swipes, however, the device can read extremely subtle gestures, from snaps, to shapes, to the individual motions of tendons.

A video showcasing the MYO's potential demonstrates a wide variety of applications. Tasks like playing music and videos while engaged in activities that require both hands (like cutting raw chicken) seem commonplace enough, but the odd little controller aims for applications beyond the ordinary. Reloading and shooting at enemies in Mass Effect looks fairly intuitive, and controlling sound levels by the movement of individual fingers could make many an audio engineer's job much easier. The video even envisions military applications, as a serviceman controls a remote vehicle without the need for a complicated controller.

The system will retail for $149, and work on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android platforms. Whether it actually lives up to the smooth and instinctive reputation that the video builds, consumers will have to wait and see. But if all goes well, you'll be one step closer to manipulating objects through the power of the Force. Maybe next, the MYO can attempt to lift an X-Wing [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_QcRPNfUuE].

Source: BuzzFeed [http://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelm70/unleash-your-inner-jedi-4cll]

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[josemlopes]

If I scratch my balls will it erase my save files? Because that is something that I do a lot.

 

[CleverCover]

Not as cool as watching the volkswagon hovercar, but cool nontheless.

 

[KefkaCultist]

cooooooooooooooooool! This is the kind of motion control we need, not gimmicky shit like wiimotes/playstation move/kinect.

 

[luvd1]

..... Am I the only one thinking porn? Surly not.

 

[Dimitriov]

Seriously... what's wrong with a mouse? I don't get some people's obsession with stuff like this.

 

[Marshall Honorof]

Seriously... what's wrong with a mouse? I don't get some people's obsession with stuff like this.

I don't think it's supposed to replace a mouse for every application, but what got me was the video recipe segment. I cook using recipes on my tablet all the time, and it's an enormous pain to wash and dry my hands off every time I want to reference something. If I could just wave my hands to manipulate the device, that'd make life way easier. Maybe not $150 easier, but I can see some practical applications for this.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Seriously... what's wrong with a mouse? I don't get some people's obsession with stuff like this.

Imagine if someone thought that about the computer in general. That's called "progress" my friend. It's why we're having this conversation together.

 

[Preacher zer0]

good. because we havent seen that already somewhere else *cough* leap motion*cough*

although the MYO armband senses muscle movements...

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2029389/myo-armband-senses-muscle-movements-for-minority-report-style-motion-control.html

Yeah but isn't the Leap a unit that sits on your desk?
So you have to be within it's sensor range.

I think both systems will be useful for different kinds of tasks.

This goes with you... so you can like, be in the toilet while turning up the music in your living room.

I actually like the look of this a lot, the idea of measuring muscle and tendon movement etc is clever, the motions it works with, the waves and finger snaps... will make me feel like a wizard.

Kinect has been pwned.

Our technology is starting to look like magic... if you know what I mean.

 

[Strazdas]

I like its aplicability and maybe eventually we wil lreach something close to the video. however accuracy is important, very important. and no control for gaming please, i dont want to dance around the room turning over objects and other people when all im trying to do is get behind this damn chest high wall..... for 6 hours.....
however that would likely make me loose weight, or quit shooters altogether and play strategy with mouse wrist simulating mouse.

 

[The Lugz]

very cool.
it's like the older neural interfaces except instead of the immensely complicated task
of measuring brain waves it samples muscle contractions, giving arguably an even more immersive
feel to it and capturing things that no camera or waggly stick can and without the cpu overhead
( capturing an analogue electrical signal is child's play, your brain is doing all the work. )

if this can deliver on even 1/10th of what the manufacturers claim then i'm sold.

i'm personally studying software development right now to move into robotics,
and this device excites me more than i should probably admit

i highly recommend keeping an eye on it, if a device you own supports Bluetooth

obviously the downside is the price, nobody wants to pay $150 for an armband mounted remote control
so it's not for everyone but any serious tech enthusiast i recon it is

'if' it works as advertised.
i'll be waiting for a review of some kind before i splash my cash tho.

I actually like the look of this a lot, the idea of measuring muscle and tendon movement etc is clever
the motions it works with, the waves and finger snaps... will make me feel like a wizard.

Kinect has been pwned.

Our technology is starting to look like magic... if you know what I mean.

there's a term for this, that i learned on my software development course it's 'Ubiquitous Computing'
and it literally means computers are everywhere, embedded in everything and you can't really see where
computer ends and person/object/stuff begins anymore and it makes life, life again instead of having to
sit at a desk you make actions like you would for the relevant activity
it's the beginning of deus ex, basically.

and kinect pwnd itself by being stupid, sorry but a camera connected to a computer just isn't a console input
device it's an ai recognition device ( which is cool! ) however
it uses far too much cpu, it's far too slow and it's prone to stupid problems like dust on the lens or the
person being at the wrong angle, too close or too far

over-complicated, slow, unreliable. > junk

and yes I've used one in a demo booth, i was not impressed at all the demo guy asked me to step on the green
carpet ( the player area, presumably ) and control a car, which i did.. but the response was so terrible i
nearly broke down laughing.

now, it could be that i'm not capable of drawing a perfect circle with my hands for the wheel but to me
it felt clumsy and crappy, either way give me a hardware controller please.
i know i'll be better and faster in the game with a wheel ( which i have used and highly recommend. )
i doubt this gesture band will fix car sims, but using it to change gear could be cool.

if you want to know what i envision doing with it,
i want to play the elder scrolls blocking, slashing and casting spells with different finger / arm combinations
and even pickup items and open doors with arm waves
dunno how i'll run or jump tho, maby i can put one on my ankle and sign it into my pc as a different input
device or use my shotgun mic and say turn
decisions decisions.

if you like i'll send you a video if i ever get it working, be prepared to wait a year or two tho! XD

 

[Strazdas]

text

text

You have misquoted me, i said no such thing.

 

[The Lugz]

text

text

You have misquoted me, i said no such thing.

hmm.. yep.
apparently forum magic occurred and gave me the wrong quote tag
it was preacher who said that,
don't know what happened there.

 

[Strazdas]

You have misquoted me, i said no such thing.

hmm.. yep.
apparently forum magic occurred and gave me the wrong quote tag
it was preacher who said that,
don't know what happened there.[/quote]
Shit happems sometimes, especially on forums somtimes its easy to get lost trying to pull a quote from a 6 quite-nest