Meta has been working on this project, dubbed “control shift”, for several years now. But on July 23, Meta took another step forward with the publication of its research in the serious scientific journal Nature, focusing on sEMG (surface electromyography), which captures your muscle activity with disconcerting precision.

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All it takes is a gesture… and your computer obeys

What if a pinch of the fingers was all it took to send a message? That’s the idea behind Meta’s sEMG bracelet. This technology captures the electrical activity of wrist muscles to translate the intention of a gesture – sometimes even before it is made.

The first prototypes already make it possible to move a cursor, open an application, or write in a vacuum, just like with a pen. A promise of fluidity and intuition that contrasts with familiar keyboards, mice, and touch screens.

A non-invasive alternative to Neuralink

Unlike Neuralink and its brain implants, Meta’s solution requires no surgery. It is discreet, portable, and, above all, ready to use. The device is based on AI models trained with data from over 300 volunteers.

As a result, there’s no need for individual calibration. The system works right out of the box and can even be fine-tuned over time. A crucial detail for mainstream adoption.

Accessibility at the heart of the project

The project is also aimed at people with motor disabilities. In partnership with Carnegie Mellon, Meta is testing its bracelet on patients with spinal cord injuries. Even in the case of hand paralysis, minimal muscle activity may be enough to transmit a command.

This type of gestural control could give digital access to people deprived of the traditional use of their hands or fingers.

An interface for everyone, everywhere, all the time?

To support its research, Meta publishes a vast sEMG dataset accessible to researchers. The aim is to encourage advances in this still-emerging field of non-invasive gestural interaction.

By publishing its work in such a prestigious journal as Nature, Meta is seeking both to lend credibility to its approach and to rally the scientific community around its technological choices.

This bracelet marks a step towards more natural interaction with our devices. No need to take out your smartphone or dictate a command aloud in a crowded metro. A simple gesture, discreet and silent, could suffice.

It remains to be seen whether this technology will soon leave the lab and make its way onto our wrists. But one thing is certain: Meta is playing a far more concrete – and less intrusive – card than many transhumanist promises.