Facebook, today, offered a glimpse into what our future might look like. The company shared its beliefs of developing a wrist wearable that would control its future Augmented Reality (AR) products and interfaces.

In a blog post, Facebook shared its 10-year vision for the future of human-computer interaction. The company, in the post, says that the future lies where human is the center of computation. It says that the future will hold computing devices where people are the center of the computing experience.

Facebook Reality Labs, a department at Facebook that focuses on the development of AR and VR products, has developed a wrist band that uses a technology called electromyography or EMG. EMG can detect nerve signals that travel through the wrist. Facebook believes that a device is worn at the wrist that is able to interpret these signals and translate them into electric signals, can be used to control AR products and interfaces.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1146186389155473

EMG is so accurate that it can “understand finger motion of just a millimeter,” says Facebook. The system would be used for “everything from manipulating a virtual object to editing an electronic document.” But the idea doesn’t stop here. Facebook says that the interactions it is developing with EMG isn’t only about clicking buttons or swiping out a notification. The company sees a system that would let users interact with virtual objects, and move these objects in the virtual space.

Facebook says developing such systems would require a lot of artificial intelligence. The company plans a system where users don’t have to adapt to how machines work. In the video, Facebook cites an example of a typist, who types mostly from muscle memory. The system would adapt to the typists’ writing style, making it more accurate. The system would be adaptable too. Based on the context of the environment, it would adjust itself, showing options and interface related to the scene.

The researchers involved in this project state that it is still in the very early stages of development, and is still years away from being a reality. Apart from developing the product, and making it a reality, Facebook says that it has to handle other issues including the privacy concerns that hover around all the Facebook products. However far the actual product really is, Facebook’s vision does leave us thinking about what the future beholds.

Apart from Facebook, Apple is also known to be working on mixed reality products. The company is known to be working on a $1000 AR/VR product that could debut in 2022. Rumors say that Apple’s AR headset will feature 15 cameras and two 8K displays.

What are your thoughts on Facebook’s wrist wearable? Would you like such a system in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!