Facebook announced the idea of a smart band that can control Facebook’s upcoming augmented reality (AR) glasses. This is also the latest move by Facebook to compete with Apple in the next generation of computing. This smart band can use sensors to receive electric nerve signals on the wrist to interpret complex hand movements. Therefore, it will allow the wearer to interact with the virtual world projected through AR glasses through subtle finger movements.
In the long run, Facebook hopes that this
technology will allow the wearer to move or manipulate, covering virtual
objects in the real world, such as typing on a virtual keyboard. Facebook Chief
Technology Officer, Mike Schroepfer, said “One of the toughest problems in the
AR field is input. From punch cards to keyboards, to mice, to touch
screens, it’s all defined by how people interact with them.”
Over the years, Facebook has been
developing its first pair of smart glasses. Mark Zuckerberg believes that by
the end of this century, smart glasses will be everywhere. According to
reports, Facebook will release a preliminary AR glasses later this year.
Schroepfer declined to disclose when this
envisioned smart band will be on the market. However, he claims that
researchers are excited about the ability to solve these technical problems in
the next few years.
