For those of you who just can’t wait to get your Myo gesture control armband on your arm, the team at Thalmic Labs has released a sneak peek at the final designs today and we’ve got that covered for you.
Myo is one of the most anticipated wearable devices of 2014, mostly because it helps realize the dream of Minority Report of controlling anything connected thing with the wave of your hand. The device uses the electrical activity in your arm and a nine-axis motion sensor to detect all the motions of your hand and forearm. This is different than some other gesture control tech on the market as it doesn’t rely on cameras, voice and is completely wireless.
The last time we saw Myo up close and personal was at CES back in January. The alpha units we checked out then were actually pretty solid looking albeit somewhat bulky making it something you couldn’t wear easily under your shirt. The team at Thalmic has worked hard since then to reduce the thickness. Today they have announced that the final design will sport a thin, expandable band that is half the thickness of the alpha units and will weigh less than 95 grams which is less than the average men’s wrist watch.
If you compare the new design above to the alpha unit we shot back at CES below its quite evident that the final armband sports a sleeker, thinner profile. The cuff looks to have much more room for expansion. And the segments of the armband that house the muscle sensors are much flatter and more rectangular than what we have seen before.
To make the new design possible, Thalmic Labs spent a tremendous amount of time perfecting a new manufacturing process and testing many materials to find one that met its specifications. According to Thalmic, the new process “pushes the limits of what’s been done before in consumer electronics manufacturing” and has helped reduce the thickness of the bands and make the device more durable and robust.
“Our team has put countless hours into creating the sleek design we’re showing today, as well as the technology inside of it,” said Stephen Lake, CEO and Co-founder of Thalmic Labs. “This final design is rugged, while also being lightweight, making it easy for the Myo armband to become a part of our everyday lives.”
The new industrial design was one of the reasons Thalmic gave for delaying shipments of Myo from its original target date of end of last year. With the design finalized, Thalmic Labs has confirmed that they will begin shipping pre-orders of the Myo Developer Kit next month, with the remaining, non-Developer-Kit, pre-orders shipping in September. All pre-order units will have final hardware.
Thalmic Labs is also ramping up for Myo to become more widely available for real-time purchase in the fall of 2014, in time for holiday season.