
Thumbnail track pad - ub
https://newsoffice.mit.edu/2015/wearable-thumbnail-sensor-controls-digital-devices-0417
======
sebular
Touch your inner ring finger with your thumb.

That's the place to put it, and it could be sold as, you know... a ring,
instead of a giant fake fingernail that makes it look like you had your thumb
surgically replaced with a big toe.

What I'd really like to see is a novel mobile method of text entry. The first
company to sell something that lets you efficiently type on the go without
involving a tiny QWERTY keyboard is going to really make a difference in how
we use tiny devices.

I've always wondered if it would be effective to try and determine virtual
letter presses based on subtle "air typing" finger movements tracked with
accelerometers or something. I might be willing to don goofy bluetooth
fingernails for that kind of functionality...

~~~
RubyPinch
Sorry for sounding like a shill for this comment.

as far as typing on silly surfaces, minnum has personally had my eye the most.
tl;dr make the keyboard 1 dimension, and then use excessive prediction to
correct the issues with that.

combining that with a watch with a distance sensor (up along the arm), you
then would have a keyboard and trackpad in the space of a watch.
[http://minuum.com/future-of-wearable-typing/](http://minuum.com/future-of-
wearable-typing/) for explanation

------
hiharryhere
I think calling it a track pad is probably the wrong angle - It makes it seem
like you should be able to use it with the same fidelity as a regular
trackpad.

Consider it as a completely new input device. Time for the UX designers of the
world to make it something special. I like it a lot.

------
teekert
"Let's say that today I wanna very subtly change the color of an accessory
that I'm wearing when I enter or exist a certain social scenario"

This puts a smile on my face... but come on, there must be better uses. Surely
touching the accessory is easier. Also, the lettuce stirring while scrolling
seems like a problem that is most easily solved by speech recognition. It's
not that I don't like the idea but if it is that hard to come up with a
situation where it is the one and only, superior interface... Perhaps someone
will think of it...

~~~
kybernetyk
> but come on, there must be better uses.

Controlling devices like Google Glass comes to mind.

------
josefdlange
I can feel the RSI already. I was excited that this might have been a weird
hybrid between a mouse and a trackpad where the tracking surface goes on your
fingertip, and everything becomes a trackpad.

~~~
JTxt
Right, a thimble?

I'd want it out of the way for typing and other tasks.

The thumbnail is probably a good place to mount because it's not touching skin
for long periods of time, or blocking the pad of fingers.

I'd test a pointing stick "eraser" or a trackball of some sort (because
capacitive touchpad style won't work on everything) on the fingernail tip.

------
comrh
Interesting, love the idea of small track pads. One issue that I immediately
thought of though with it on your thumb is damage to the nail bed. As far as I
understand it, pressure on the nail and the part of the thumb behind the nail
can lead to nail deformities. Might be a bad place for repetitive use.

------
donbronson
This is obviously very cool. My one thought is that it would be very hard for
children to use. It's important to consider adoption from a wide audience.

------
leeoniya
just tried putting my index finger on the far side of my thumbnail; not at all
"unobtrusive" from a comfort perspective, imo.

~~~
pavel_lishin
I'm not having any difficulty; if it were thin enough, I don't think I'd mind
at all.

My concerns are with the precision.

~~~
ovi256
My concerns are with the impedance mismatch between the touchscreen model and
the trackpad model. It does not look straightforward to me to use a current
touchscreen UI through this. Having this as a different input mode from
touchscreen would ensure its failure.

~~~
pavel_lishin
I'm not sure what you mean. Can you elaborate?

~~~
jaywunder
I think he's saying that the shape of the nail is different than the shape of
your computer's trackpad, making this awkward to use.

------
compay
I suspect people would end up getting a lot of repetitive stress injuries from
such a device if used with one hand as pictured.

~~~
jonsen
If so then just move it to a natural position. For example in a nostril.

------
cootysratsemen
I'm really interested in this type of tech but don't have any experience with
electronics. Could a project like this realistically be completed by an
amateur enthusiast?

------
malkia
Wow, that's a great idea - but why not use the opposite side of the thumb - as
if you are putting salt on things - imagine if you were having it there.

