Mudra Link neural wristband allows you to turn your hand into a mouse or keyboard.
Among the attendees of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, a few companies are showcasing products that enable gesture-based device control.
One of them is Wearable Devices, which is presenting the Mudra Link – a wristband that allows you to control your device using neural input technology.
The wristband features Surface Nerve Conductance sensors, which detect neural signals transmitted from the brain to the hand and convert them into digital commands. It also includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope for precise gesture detection.
“Basically, your brain sends signals in the form of electric currents to your hand, and our sensors detect those signals,” a representative from Wearable Devices, an Israeli company, explains.
The same technology allows to control of Meta’s Orion smart glasses, which are under development. According to the representative, Wearable Devices and Orion are currently the only two companies in the world utilizing wristbands for neural input.
Since Orion’s smart glasses are still under development, Mudra Link remains the only product available for tryout.
Wearable Devices has already released a Mudra Band for the Apple Watch, enabling users to interact with other Apple devices. In a few days, the company will officially launch Mudra Link and expand compatibility to Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS devices. The wristband will also function as a controller for TCL’s RayNeo smart glasses.
Turning your hand into a mouse
I had a chance to try out the wristband at the company’s booth in Central Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES. The experience involved controlling a mouse cursor on a screen using nothing but hand gestures.
The wristband, which connects to a compatible device via Bluetooth, is made from biocompatible silicon, features a nylon fabric adjustment strap, and includes stainless steel electrodes. It includes a button that allows you to switch between mouse and keyboard modes. I opted to test the mouse functionality.
The first demo was a “warm-up,” which allowed me to stretch a virtual face on a screen, giving a sense of how the system works. It isn’t difficult to maneuver the cursor. However, it takes time to get used to it. The trickiest part is to do the mouse “click” function, which is achieved by pressing two fingers together.
Another demo was a game in which you try to avoid obstacles by jumping, getting down, or turning to the left or right.
There wasn’t time to explore other applications. However, the company emphasized that the wristband is compatible with a wide range of devices, including TVs, smartphones, and laptops.
Yet, it seems much easier to control cursors on larger screens with the device, as precisely moving the cursor while holding your hand in the air can be challenging compared to using a traditional mouse.
For me, it seems that virtual reality, mixed reality and augmented reality devices would be the best fit for the wristband.
For those who are interested, Wearable Devices is retailing the wristband for $200 and plans to ship them in January.
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