Facebook takes augmented reality very, very seriously. Last year, the company exhibited quite frankly ambitious picture for the future of AR, and now the social media giant has revealed some of the advanced gadgets this’s design to help people interact with the AR world.
The biggest challenge for the Facebook Reality Labs research team is to find ways to interact with augmented reality in the same way that we do with a PC. We have several headphones and glasses, but no AR equivalent to a mouse and keyboard.
So, instead of trying to make existing devices work in AR, Facebook is looking to create new types of human-computer interfaces (HCIs) that are easy to use, reliable and still provide some level of privacy. Facebook said this sees AI as a critical part of the formula to help provide the right tools or commands, depending on the situation, which should help reduce friction or possible user confusion.
And while this technology is far from polished, Facebook already has some ideas about how AR-based HCI devices might work in the future. Rather than relying entirely on voice commands, Facebook sees wrist-mounted wearables as a good solution, offering a familiar and comfortable design not completely different from a standard wristwatch, but with new technology that can support multiple input methods .
Facebook says that, taking advantage of electromyography, it can use sensors to convert electrical signals that are sent from the brain to the hands into digital commands. Facebook claims that EMG sensors are sensitive enough to detect movements of just a millimeter, with future devices potentially being able to sense someone’s intentions without any real physical movement. In essence, Facebook is looking to provide direct mind control of AR devices, but without the need for physical implants.
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In addition, with accurate EMG sensors, Facebook can also support new gesture controls, such as joining your thumb and index finger to create a “click”. That way, people can translate what they do on a normal PC into a new set of AR-based gestures that Facebook will someday hope to expand on all types of controls and movements. Facebook even hopes to reinvent type with the help of AI to make writing essays or emails faster and more accurate.
Facebook said this you know that all these technologies will need to evolve with each other, because simply being able to click on an AR object will not be enough if the rest of the AR interface is constantly getting in the way. And again, Facebook believes that AI can help, knowing intelligently when you want to switch between virtual workspaces or focus on a specific tool or get additional information from EMG sensors or even eye tracking sensors.
Alalthough touch screens and virtual screens are useful, there is simply no substitute for real physical stimulation. In addition to touching something with your fingers, Facebook just displayed two different prototypes that deliver the feeling to the touch in interesting ways.
With its prototype “Bellowband”, Facebook uses a series of eight pneumatic pumps coupled to a wrist-mounted device that blow air and create various pressure and vibration patterns. ÇWhen combined with its Tasbi prototype (Tactile and Squeeze Bracelet Interface), Facebook was able to create a device that tightens your wrist to better mimic the feeling of movement or touch real objects.
The biggest problem, of course, is that Facebook’s privacy history is, well … we all know it’s not great. The company said protecting people’s data in AR is extremely important, although Facebook Reality Labs science director Sean Keller added that “ununderstanding and resolving the full range of ethical issues requires the involvement of society. 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 pairs.reviewed magazines.
It is true that, although all this seems very distant –launched, given the speed with which VR has been adopted by certain business sectors, such as engineering and design, it is not so strange to imagine AR seeing similar explosive growth in the next 10 to 15 years. And, as in other sectors, if you are the first company to define and control a market, there is a good chance of profits. YYou can be sure that Facebook will do its best to try to stay ahead of the competition, but it seems Microsoft, Apple and the rest, they all have the same idea. Let the games begin.