Facebook has read their mindset device and an enhanced reality keyboard that would allow users to replace the mouse and keyboard in future hardware.
The company’s Facebook Reality Labs division demonstrated the prototype technologies on a meaningful call by members of the media this week. Department officials spoke about the technologies while videos of the projects were played to the audience.
The slim device is capable of reading neurological signals transmitted from a user’s brain down to their hands. He could read these signals theoretically to understand what a user wants to do and reproduce the action in a real or developed environment.
“In fact you have more of your brain dedicated to controlling your wrist than any other part of your body, probably twice as many neurons controlling your wrist and moving your hands as it does. really dedicated to your mouth for feeding and speech, “said TR Reardon, director of research science at Facebook Reality Labs.
The Facebook researchers showed “force” actions where a user could get a grip with their fingers in real life to hold and control meaningful, distant objects in augmented reality. The name of the action refers to the Star Wars franchise where special characters can use the Force to take control of people or objects that are far away from them.
In addition, the company showed electromyography handsets that users can wear to place on any surface as if typing on a physical keyboard. While there is no keyboard, the EMG handsets would record a user’s finger stroke secrets and write down the letters and words.
Facebook’s development of these technologies is coming as the company prepares to release their first smart glasses later this year. That device is Ray-Ban glasses and will be released in partnership with Luxottica.
Unlike smartphones, which rely on touchscreens, or Oculus virtual reality headsets, which rely on handheld controllers, there is currently no obvious access method for smart glasses. That’s why Facebook is working on these projects.
Asked how fast these technologies could make their way to the public, Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer said they are at an early stage of development.
“It’s difficult to predict their timeline,” Schroepfer said. “How these things run out in the market, when they appear – the things that I don’t have hard answers for. What we’re focusing on is hardening those technologies.”