Facebook Inc announced on Thursday that it is working on a wristband to monitor its augmented reality (AR) glasses, which are scheduled to be launched this year.
The band wearers will be able to indulge with the virtual world through their finger gestures, according to the company’s blog post.
In addition to sensing nerve impulses, the AR-enabled wearable device would be able to read complex hand motions and movements.
This is a significant step forward towards Facebook in a hotly competitive race among tech giants such as Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc, and Alphabet Inc’s Google in a market that expects glasses will soon overtake the capabilities of cell phones.
Due to drawbacks such as battery life and heat generated by processing, Facebook previously claimed that smart glasses will have to rely on devices like phones in the near future. A wristband may be used as a computing interface and to support certain features.
Facebook said in September that it was about five to ten years away from being able to bring “actual” augmented reality glasses to market, which will enable users to see and communicate with persistent shared virtual objects in real-time.
