Myo — официальный релиз в сентябре

После нескольких лет работы браслет Myo, который позволит почувствовать себя настоящим джедаем или героем Тома Круза из кинофильма «Особое мнение», готовится к официальному релизу уже в сентябре этого года.

Канадская компания Thalmic Labs приковала внимание миллионов потенциальных клиентов в феврале прошлого года, когда показала презентационный ролик Myo – браслета, который позволяет управлять электронными устройствами при помощи простых жестов руки.





Thalmic Labs отправила свою первую партию Myo для разработчиков в декабре прошлого года (альфа-версия браслета), но позже компания заявила, что откладывает официальный релиз в связи с планами по усовершенствованию дизайна. Главной задачей было создание адаптивной модели, которая бы подошла всем, что существенно облегчило бы производство и сократило дополнительные затраты. Вместе с этим Thalmic Labs удалось сократить вес браслета на 25%, толщину на 50% и сделать дизайн более привлекательным и необычным. Ранее в июне Thalmic Labs официально представили новинку на своем сайте.



Myo работает при помощи технологии электромиографии — метод исследования биоэлектрических потенциалов, возникающих в скелетных мышцах при возбуждении мышечных волокон – проще говоря, регистрация электрической активности мышц. Myo измеряет электрические сигналы в мышцах рук и обнаруживает планируемый жест еще до его фактической реализации, прежде чем рука пошевелится.

Предстоящие несколько месяцев до официального релиза Thalmic Labs планирует потратить на разработку программных продуктов для браслета, в частности собственную SDK. Одна из главных целей компании на сегодняшний день – дать возможность разработчикам применить Myo везде, где того пожелает потенциальный пользователь. В первую очередь акцент будет ставиться на игры, но компанию также интересует управление бытовой техникой. В Thalmic Labs уже получили более 10’000 заявок от сторонних разработчиков на участие в программе создания приложений для Myo.

Пользовательская версия Myo, как и для разработчиков, уже доступна для предзаказа по $149. Сравнение моделей тут. Для разработчиков доставка начнет осуществляться уже в июле 2014, тогда как пользовательская версия — в сентябре.

Myo Developer FAQWhat type of data does the Myo armband output?
The Myo armband provides two kinds of data to an application: spatial data and gestural data.

Spatial data informs the application about the orientation and movement of the user's arm. This data is provided by the on board 9-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU). The Myo SDK will provide two kinds of spatial data:
• Orientation data which indicates which way the Myo armband is pointed in terms of roll, pitch, and yaw.
• Acceleration vector data which represents the acceleration the Myo armband is undergoing at any given time.

Gestural data tells the application what the user is doing with their hands. The Myo SDK provides gestural data in the form of one of several pre-set poses, which represent a particular configuration of the user's hand. For example, one pose represents the hand making a fist, while another represents the hand being at rest with an open palm. This data is provided by the proprietary EMG muscle activity sensors.

What IMU data will we have access to?
The Myo armband outputs raw data from the 9-axis IMU including:
• Raw accelerometer data
• Raw gyroscope data
• Raw magnetometer data
• Orientation data provided by doing sensor fusion of the above three

Does the Myo armband provide X, Y, Z position data?
The data from the IMU in the Myo armband is great for measuring the orientation of the arm (roll, pitch, yaw) but would require double integration to get position data. This would unfortunately introduce a significant amount of error, therefore position data is currently not offered as a standard output. The Myo armband is better suited to getting the relative orientations of the arms rather than the absolute position.

How many gestures are available?
The Myo armband will be able to detect 5-10 unique hand poses when the Myo SDK is made available to the public. The specific poses that will be available through the API will be defined closer to the date of public launch.

Developers will be able to combine the 5-10 hand poses with IMU reading of the arm motion to have additional gestures to program with. For example, a user who makes a fist with their hand can twist their arm left/right, rise/lower their arm, draw the letter “O” in the air, etc. Even though all of these motions have the same hand pose, they all return separate IMU readings and therefore can correspond to separate actions in your application.

Does the Myo SDK provide access to raw EMG sensor data?
The Myo SDK will not have access to raw EMG sensor data. Raw data output from the EMG sensors would consume too much power and would thus significantly reduce battery length and performance. Additionally, the EMG signals require immense analysis and complex machine learning algorithms to map them to recognizable hand poses across a wide population of users. The Myo armband is designed to perform this recognition within the firmware to minimize the complexity for developers. The EMG signal output is something we may consider down the road, but for now we are focusing on offering the most accurate and reliable solution.

Will developers be able to create custom gestures?
Developers will have access to 5-10 hand poses and will be able to create custom gestures by combining these poses with orientations and accelerations of the arm in 3D space. Developers will not have the ability to customize the available hand poses.

Can two Myo armbands be used simultaneously?
Yes, the Myo SDK will officially support the simultaneous use of two Myo armbands, with one on each arm.

Can the Myo armband be worn on a leg?
The Myo armband and SDK does not support muscle readings from a leg. Users can wear a Myo armband on their leg, however the application will only be able to measure the IMU spatial data.

Does the Myo armband provide haptic feedback?
Yes, the Myo armband can provide feedback to the wearer in the form of a vibration that is both audible and sensed through touch.

Is the Myo armband waterproof?
The Myo armband is designed to resist water damage, however the device is not waterproof.

Does the Myo armband require calibration?
The Myo is designed to work with all users and will not require calibration or individual setup.

Do I have to pay for firmware updates?
No, all Myo firmware updates will be available for download free of charge.

What platforms are available?
The Myo SDK will have official support for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Additional platform support will likely become available once the SDK is made available to the public. At that stage, the client-side APIs will be open-sourced and developers within the community will have the opportunity to accelerate the development of additional platform support.

What is the Myo Alpha Program?
The Myo Alpha Program is a unique opportunity for select developers to get their hands on an early version of the Myo armband and have early access to the Myo SDK. We’re continuously reviewing applicants and selecting those with the most impressive ideas and who have the necessary skills to build something amazing. Developers can apply here. Those selected will receive an official invitation via email.

What is the difference between a Myo Alpha Unit, Myo Development Kit, and Final Myo Armband?
A detailed description of the differences between the Myo Alpha Unit, Myo Developer Kit and Final Myo Armband can be found in our recent blog post.

Can I update my original Myo armband pre-order to a Myo Development Kit?
Yes, you can update your original Myo pre-order to a Myo Developer Kit here. If you have further questions, you can email support@thalmic.com.

When will Myo armbands ship?
The most up-to-date shipping information can be found on our pre-order page.

When will the Myo SDK be made available?
The Myo SDK is already available to Developers in the Myo Alpha Program and will be made available to the public when the Myo Developer Kits begin to ship. Вы уже оформили предзаказ?

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