Wearable computing means that passive life logging will get easier. While we await the proliferation of Pebbles, iWatches and Google Glasses the question of how we'll interact with these calm computing devices presents a quandry and an opportunity for innovation. Thamlic Labs Myo presents an exciting solution: wearable computing peripherals that recognise gesture commands.

The Myo does things a little differently than other gesture recognition devices (such as the Leap motion): it's an armband which wraps around your forearm. The Myo recognises the electrical signature of muscle movements, and correlates them to gesture commands. This impressive capability sits alongside a suite of sensors we're more accustomed to, such as accelerometers for movement detection. An interesting use case for where gesture control and quantified self data could overlap is suggested by the demo video: sharing your snowboarding stunt data is easily accomplished via a Myo detected gesture (aka m/ )

Thamlic labs are busy at work developing API's for the Myo, which are key for it interfacing with as wide a variety of applications as possible. The project has exciting potential but its success will be largely determined by how amenable it is to existing gadget usage habits. We're hoping it fares well as it's heartening to see the expressiveness of non-verbal communication returned to our interactions with digital devices.