Could this armband replace your mouse? Hands-free Myo lets you control your computer using hand gestures

    People have used a mouse to control their computers ever since the machines became mainstream enough to invade the home.

    But now there is a new batch of hands-free technology that claims to be more intuitive, accurate than fun than the handy hardware, which was invented around 70 years ago.

    A start-up called Thalmic Labs, based in Waterloo, Ontario in Canada, is about to release a smart armband that lets people control their computers by using hand gestures.

    The Myo band can do this because it contains sensors that measure the motion and electrical activity in the wearer’s arm muscles.

    From this information, it can interpret certain hand gestures as well as movements to execute the relevant instructions on a computer screen.

    This is different to some competing controllers, such as Microsoft’s Kinect, which relies on a camera to monitor someone’s movements.

    A final version of the $149 (￡87 plus shipping) device is set to be released in September and its makers claim it will work with Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.

    Could this armband replace your mouse? Hands-free Myo lets you control your computer using hand gestures

    People have used a mouse to control their computers ever since the machines became mainstream enough to invade the home.

    But now there is a new batch of hands-free technology that claims to be more intuitive, accurate than fun than the handy hardware, which was invented around 70 years ago.

    A start-up called Thalmic Labs, based in Waterloo, Ontario in Canada, is about to release a smart armband that lets people control their computers by using hand gestures.

    The Myo band can do this because it contains sensors that measure the motion and electrical activity in the wearer’s arm muscles.

    From this information, it can interpret certain hand gestures as well as movements to execute the relevant instructions on a computer screen.

    This is different to some competing controllers, such as Microsoft’s Kinect, which relies on a camera to monitor someone’s movements.

    A final version of the $149 (￡87 plus shipping) device is set to be released in September and its makers claim it will work with Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.