NailO - Wearable Device Turns User's Thumbnail Into Miniature Wireless Track Pad

Researchers at the MIT Media Laboratory are developing a new wearable device - a prototype called NailO - that turns the user's thumbnail into a miniature wireless track pad. The technology could let users control wireless devices when their hands are full, or could augment other interfaces - allowing someone texting on a cellphone to toggle between symbol sets without interrupting his or her typing. The researchers used capacitive sensing, the same kind of sensing the iPhone's touch screen relies on, to register touch. The team packed capacitive sensors, a battery, and three separate chips - a microcontroller, a Bluetooth radio chip, and a capacitive-sensing chip - into a space no larger than a thumbnail.

Transcript

00:00:06 So as current wearable technologies get smaller and thinner and closer to the human body there is this greater need and desire to be able to personalize the appearance of these devices, to make them more appealing to wear. NailO is a miniaturized track pad, comparable to the size of a commercial nail-art sticker.

00:00:26 Basically the device that we made is a miniaturized track pad. It integrates electronics such as the processor, the bluetooth radio and the battery into a small fingernail-sized package. And this device can send data wirelessly to your phone and it doesn't need to be plugged in or connected to anything.

00:00:46 Because of its small size it is very subtle and discrete. So let's say today I want to very subtly change the color of accessory that I am wearing when I enter or exit a certain social scenario, I can very easily do that with my fingernail. And also because its on your fingertip this is a very natural and

00:01:04 unobtrusive location, we have a lot of gestures using our fingers so let's say today my hands are full, perhaps you're busy cooking with both of your hands but you want to scroll through a recipe then you can use NailO as a third hand to help you do so. Our immediate goals are to further miniaturize the device;

00:01:24 we want to fit all of the electronics in one chip which would allow it to be thinner, smaller and reduce the power consumption. It not only has a functional purpose but we also engineered it so that the wearer can very easily alter the appearance of the device based on their personal taste and

00:01:42 selection of nail-art designs by attaching on top of the device. And so we really think this opens it up for it to not only be something that is functional but it becomes like a canvas for self-expression. You can express your personal taste, your personal sense of fashion, your personal preferences for what to wear

00:02:00 through this wearable technology.