Facebook really takes augmented reality seriously. Last year the company showed off a frankly ambitious framework for the future of AR, and now the social media giant has unveiled some of the advanced gadgets it’s designs to help people interact with the AR world.
The biggest challenge facing the Facebook Reality Labs Research team is finding ways to interact with augmented reality like we do with a PC. We have a number of headsets and glasses, but no AR equivalent of a mouse and keyboard.
So instead of trying to make existing devices work in AR, Facebook is looking for new types of human-computer interfaces (HCIs) that are easy to use and reliable while still offering a degree of privacy. Facebook has said it considers AI a critical part of the formula to help you with the right tools or commands depending on the situation, which should help reduce friction or potential user confusion.
And while this technology is far from polished, Facebook already has some ideas on how AR-based HCI devices could work in the future. Rather than relying entirely on voice commands, Facebook sees wrist-mounted wearables as a good solution, with a familiar and comfortable design that’s not quite different from a standard wristwatch, but with new technology that can support different input methods.
Facebook says that by using electromyography, it can use sensors to convert electrical signals sent from your brain to your hands into digital commands. Facebook claims that EMG sensors are sensitive enough to detect movements as small as one millimeter, with future devices potentially even being able to sense someone’s intentions without any physical movement. Essentially, Facebook wants to provide direct mind control of AR devices, but without the need for physical implants.
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Furthermore, with precise EMG sensors, Facebook can also support new gesture controls, such as squeezing your thumb and index finger to create a “click”. In this way, people can translate what they do on a regular PC into a new set of AR-based gestures that Facebook hopes to extend to all kinds of controls and gestures one day. Facebook even hopes to make a new show typing using AI to make essay or email writing faster and more accurate.
Facebook said it know that all of these technologies must evolve with each other, because simply being able to click on an AR object won’t be enough if the rest of the AR interface is constantly getting in the way. And again, Facebook thinks AI can help, by intelligently knowing when to switch virtual workspaces or to focus on a specific tool, or by getting additional input from EMG sensors or even eye-tracking sensors.
Alreadyalthough touchscreens and virtual screens are useful, there is simply no substitute for real physical stimuli. So in addition to touching something with your fingers, Facebook was just showing off two different prototypes that deliver haptics in interesting ways.
With its ‘Bellowband’ prototype, Facebook uses a series of eight linked pneumatic pumps to a device mounted on the wrist blow air and create different pressure and vibration patterns. W.In conjunction with its Tasbi (Tactile and Squeeze Bracelet Interface) prototype, Facebook has been able to create a device that squeezes your wrist to better mimic the feeling of moving or touching real objects.
The biggest problem, of course, is that Facebook’s record of privacy is, well … we all know it’s not great. Company said Protecting people’s data in AR is critical, although Facebook Reality Labs Scientific Director Sean Keller added that “aUnderstanding and resolving the full range of ethical issues requires community-level involvement. “In short, Facebook needs feedback on how to improve privacy and security in AR (surprise, surprise), and is encouraging its researchers to publish relevant work in peer review.assessed Magazines.
Admittedly though this all sounds pretty far offGiven the speed at which VR was adopted by certain industries, such as engineering and design, it’s not surprising to imagine AR seeing similar explosive growth over the next 10 to 15 years. And, just like in other industries, if you are the first company in order to define and control a market, chances are that profits will follow. YYou can trust Facebook will do its best to stay ahead of the competition, but it sounds like it Microsoft, Apple and the rest all have the same idea. Let the game begin.