Meta researchers are developing a gesture-controlled wristband that can interact with a computer
Meta's wristband employs a technique called surface electromyography (sEMG), which detects electrical signals generated by muscle activity to interpret user movements, as explained in a research paper published in the journal Nature. These signals can sense a person's intended actions, even before they do them.
The goal of this wristband is to provide less invasive tools to interact with computers for people with motor disabilities.
The company is collaborating with Carnegie Mellon to test the wristband with people who have spinal cord injuries, enabling them to use computers even if they are unable to fully use their arms or hands. Douglas Weber, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Neuroscience Institute, noted that even people with complete hand paralysis still exhibit some muscle activity. As a result, the device is able to interpret their intended actions.
The wristband is a simpler alternative to other projects, such as Elon Musk's Neuralink, which aims to implant brain chips in individuals with severe paralysis. Other non-invasive approaches include headsets that utilize electroencephalogram (EEG) signals; however, these have limitations due to the weak signals they produce.
Meanwhile, Meta's wristband could be used immediately without surgical intervention, and its use of sEMG signals means it operates at a higher frequency than EEG.
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Humanly said the AI interviewer was built using analysis from more than 4 million interview interactions and its work 'with leading recruiters to define what makes the 'anatomy of a strong interview.'' The startup also partnered with Katherine Hilton, a linguistics lecturer at Stanford, and Grin Lord, co-founder and CEO of Bellevue, Wash.-based mpathic, a startup whose software analyzes workplace communication. The goal was to reduce bias and improve predictive accuracy, according to Humanly. After an AI interviewer meets with a job candidate, the program provides feedback to a recruiter, highlighting strengths, gaps, and fit. It generates a candidate score and offers a recommendation on whether the candidate should move on to the next round of interviews. In comments on his LinkedIn post, some expressed misgivings about what Kumar and Humanly have built, while others celebrated it as a breakthrough. 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While resume screening and meeting scheduling has become an accepted, automated aspect of job searches, autonomous interviewers are popping up from a variety of companies. It's adding AI to a part of the process that has long seemed to most need a human touch, as the Times put it. Some job seekers who spoke to the Times called their interactions with AI 'dehumanizing,' or they wondered whether there was a job at all and if they were just part of an experiment designed to train the AI. In response to one comment on LinkedIn, about whether her AI could just do all the work while she's on vacation, Bernstein joked that she's not sure if Kumar would notice the difference at this point.
