tomo strapControlling your smartwatch via your wrist is pretty standard. You tap the screen or press some buttons, or in some cases you can even control it via your voice. However researchers at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction group have come up with a prototype that will translate your hand movements into commands.

This is done by creating a strap called Tomo. The strap relies on the principle of Electrical Impedance Tomography that uses tiny impulses to sense wrist muscle movements. Through the detection of these movements, it is possible to translate those movements into executable commands which we can only imagine can be used to control either the watch and some of its functionalities, or be used to control a computer or another piece of hardware.

The researchers note that this method might be more practical as camera-based modules tend to be bulkier, and accelerometer and gyroscopes can’t detect static gestures. Tomo in its current form is also very affordable at around $40, plus it can be worn under the clothes making it ideal for day-to-day use in a variety of situations.

At the same time, the researchers also points out that due to different wrist sizes, the Tomo is a one-size-fits-all device and will need to learn the gestures of its wearer first, kind of like setting up voice dictation, but at the end of the day it is an interesting idea and one that we hope will catch on soon.

Filed in Gadgets. Read more about .

Discover more from Ubergizmo

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading