Toggle search
Toggle menu
5.4K
6.1K
229
52.6K
VR & AR Wiki
Toggle preferences menu
Toggle personal menu
Not logged in
Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits.

Myo

vrarwiki.com · VR & AR Wiki
More actions
Myo
Basic Info
Type Input Device, Gesture Tracker
Subtype Hands/Fingers Tracking
Developer Thalmic Labs
Announcement Date 25 February 2013
Release Date July 2014 (developer kit); March 2015 (Amazon.com retail)
Price $199 (retail); $149 (pre-order)
Website https://www.thalmic.com/en/myo/
System
Operating System Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
CPU ARM Cortex M4 Processor
Connectivity
Connectivity Bluetooth LE
Power micro-USB, lithium ion battery
Battery Life One full day of use from a single charge (manufacturer claim)
Device
Weight 93g
Color Black, White
Sensors EMG Sensors, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Magnetometer
Size 7.5 - 13 inches

Myo is a gesture control armband developed by Thalmic Labs. The device consists of a band of 8 EMG muscle sensors and IMUs. When worn on a user's forearm, Myo detects the user's hand gestures and arm motion.[1] It reads the electrical activity of the forearm muscles through electromyography (EMG) and combines it with an inertial measurement unit that tracks the arm's movement, so it needs no external cameras or a handheld controller.[2]

Myo was used to issue input to a computer or smartphone with hand gestures. Users could download Myo apps and connectors to pre-existing programs such as PowerPoint, Netflix and VLC from the Myo Market.

Thalmic Labs announced the armband in February 2013 with a US$149 pre-order price. Developer kits began shipping in July 2014, and the consumer version went on sale on Amazon.com in March 2015 for US$199.[3][4][5] Thalmic and its developers paired it with the Oculus Rift, for example to control virtual arms in games, and enterprise software makers connected it to smart glasses such as Google Glass and Epson Moverio for hands-free control.[6][7]

Thalmic Labs stopped selling Myo in October 2018 and later that month rebranded as North, launching its Focals smart glasses.[8][9] The Myo patents were sold in 2019 to CTRL-labs, a neural-interface startup that Facebook acquired later that year.[10][11]

Reviewed 27 September 2026. Checked the tech-specs archive, launch, funding, shipping, pricing, discontinuation, patent sale, VR/AR partner, research and review claims against each cited source. About review dates.

History

Announcement and funding

Thalmic Labs was founded by three University of Waterloo mechatronics engineering graduates, Aaron Grant, Matthew Bailey and Stephen Lake. The company was part of the Y Combinator Winter 2013 class and had raised US$1.1 million in seed funding when it introduced the armband, then styled "MYO", on 25 February 2013. TechCrunch reported that the device used sensors and machine learning to work out which gestures the wearer was making from the forearm muscles, and that it connected to PCs and phones over Bluetooth. Pre-orders were taken at US$149, and the company published an API for third-party developers. The company also hoped the armband could control devices such as Google Glass without the wearer touching the display.[3]

In June 2013 Thalmic Labs raised a US$14.5 million Series A round led by Spark Capital and Intel Capital. At that point it had more than 30,000 pre-orders and was aiming to ship in late 2013.[12] In February 2014, IEEE Spectrum reported a pre-order price of US$150 and a planned consumer launch in mid-2014.[2]

Developer kit and consumer release

The final hardware design was shown in June 2014.[13] In a July 2014 hands-on with the production version, TechCrunch reported that Thalmic assembled developer units at its Waterloo headquarters, while a company near Ottawa handled consumer production.[14] Shipments of the Myo Developer Kit began in July 2014. Pre-orders had passed 40,000 units, and the consumer version was scheduled for September 2014. Lake said the company wanted to "spend time with the developers now to get the user experience right and don't rush too soon to the general consumer."[4]

By early January 2015, BetaKit reported that Myo was shipping to consumers and that Lake put the share of pre-orders shipped at 24 percent, out of more than 50,000 orders.[13] Later that month, Engadget reported 50,000 pre-orders, about half of them shipped, and a US$199 price for an Amazon launch planned in the first quarter of 2015.[15] Thalmic Labs announced on 2 March 2015 that the armband was available on Amazon.com for US$199.[5]

Discontinuation

In October 2018, Thalmic Labs ended sales of Myo. Lake said the company's next product was "entirely different" and needed its "full attention and focus"; existing owners would still receive support.[8][16] Later that month the company took the name North and introduced Focals, smart glasses with a small projector in the right side of the frame and a finger ring called the Loop for input.[9]

Thalmic's GitHub repository for the Myo Bluetooth Low Energy specification, a C++ header file released under the Apache 2.0 license, was archived on 28 October 2022. Its notice states that "Myo sales ended in October 2018 and Myo software, hardware and SDKs are no longer available or supported."[17]

Patents and later EMG input work

In June 2019, New York-based CTRL-labs bought the patents behind Myo from North. VentureBeat reported that they cover EMG hardware along with software and human-computer interaction inventions; the price was not disclosed.[10] TechCrunch reported that the deal also included customer data and that Spark Capital, an investor in both companies, had connected them.[18] Lake said: "I'm glad to see the IP go to a great new home with Ctrl-labs." The same week, CTRL-labs joined the Khronos Group's OpenXR working group.[10]

Facebook announced in September 2019 that it had acquired CTRL-labs, which was developing a wrist-worn device that turns neural signals and hand movements into input for AR and VR. The startup joined Facebook Reality Labs, and TechCrunch noted that the Myo patents came with it. Citing Bloomberg, TechCrunch put the deal's value at between US$500 million and US$1 billion.[11]

Features

Myo recognized five default gestures: making a fist, spreading the fingers, double-tapping the thumb and middle finger, waving the hand left and waving it right.[19] The IMU also tracked the motion and rotation of the arm. A dedicated unlock gesture guarded against accidental commands, and two armbands could be worn together for more control options.[2] The armband had no power button: according to Engadget, it woke when picked up and went back to sleep after being left alone for a while.[15]

The armband gave feedback through short, medium and long vibrations.[1] Custom calibration could improve recognition for an individual wearer, and a keyboard mapper let users assign gestures to keystrokes, so Myo could control any application that responds to the keyboard.[19] Connectors distributed through the Myo Market covered applications such as Spotify, Netflix and Minecraft; Engadget also listed video playback, games, medical imaging and concert lighting among its uses.[15] Thalmic's press release for the Amazon launch named drone piloting, computer games, presentation slides and music players as uses.[5]

Hardware

Specifications

Part Spec
Size Expandable between 7.5 - 13 inches (19 - 34 cm) forearm circumference[1]
Weight 93 grams[1]
Thickness 0.45 inches[1]
Sensors Medical Grade Stainless Steel EMG sensors, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Magnetometer (nine-axis IMU)[1]
EMG sampling 8 channels at 200 Hz, 8-bit resolution[20]
Processor ARM Cortex M4 Processor[1]
LEDs Dual Indicator LEDs[1]
Haptic feedback Short, medium and long vibrations[1]
Connectivity Bluetooth LE
Power micro-USB for charging, built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery
Battery life One full day of use from a single charge (manufacturer claim)[1]
Colors Black, White[1]

The retail box contained the armband in black or white, a standard micro-USB cable, a Bluetooth adapter for connecting to Mac and Windows PCs, and 10 sizing clips.[1] Thalmic listed support for Windows 7, 8 and 10 (with the included USB Bluetooth adapter and OpenGL 2.1 or higher), Mac OS X 10.8 and later, iOS 7.0 and later on selected iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch models, and Android 4.3 and later on devices with Bluetooth 4.0 LE.[1] Engadget reported battery life of 10 to 14 hours of continuous use.[15]

A 2025 review of EMG armbands in iScience identifies the processor as a 120 MHz ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller (MK22FN1M0) and the IMU as an MPU9150. The same review gives the signal bandwidth as 5-100 Hz and describes Myo as one of the earliest and most mature sEMG armband products.[21]

Use in virtual and augmented reality

In February 2014, Lake told TechCrunch: "There are projects using both Myo + Rift". He added that developers in the Myo Alpha program were integrating both devices with Unity for games. Spark Capital had invested in both Thalmic Labs and Oculus VR.[22] In March 2014 Thalmic showed an in-house Rift integration in which the wearer's real arm movements drove virtual arms in the game, and it said it planned to make this available to developers.[6]

For augmented reality, Thalmic announced enterprise partners in August 2014. Augmedix used Myo with Google Glass so physicians could work with patient documentation without voice or touch input. APX Labs integrated it with its software for Glass and the Epson Moverio in industrial settings such as refineries and hydro plants, and Bridgit made it compatible with its Closeout deficiency management software, which project managers used with Google Glass during construction site inspections. Thalmic was also working with Recon Instruments to build Myo support for the Jet heads-up display.[7]

Clinical researchers used Myo alongside VR headsets. In a 2017 case report on phantom limb pain, Chau and colleagues used the HTC Vive together with a Myo armband, which let the patient grasp and release with virtual hands in a kitchen environment by activating selected forearm movements. The patient's pain scores dropped during the sessions, and the reduction continued at the six-week follow-up.[23]

Research and medical use

Researchers have also used Myo as a low-cost EMG acquisition device. A 2017 study in PLOS ONE compared six EMG acquisition setups for classifying hand movements. Two Myo armbands worn together reached 69.04 percent accuracy on 41 movements, against 74.01 percent for a Delsys Trigno system; the double-Myo setup cost less than one thirtieth as much. The authors concluded that the double-Myo setup gave comparable results.[20]

At the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, researchers used Myo's EMG sensors on the upper arm of amputee Johnny Matheny to control the Modular Prosthetic Limb, which was attached directly to his skeleton. The sensors sent muscle signals over Bluetooth to a computer, which worked out the movements he was trying to make.[24]

Reception

Reviewing Myo in October 2015 at US$199 (GBP 179), The Register's Nigel Whitfield found setup easy and saw a lot of potential. He also found that energetic typing could trigger the unlock gesture by accident and thought the band was too chunky for mass adoption.[19] Lisa Eadicicco of Time gave it three out of five stars in January 2016. She praised the easy-to-remember gestures, the fast and accurate detection and the support for existing games, but criticized the price, the small selection of standalone games and the difficulty of troubleshooting.[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 "Tech Specs - Myo Battery Life, Dimensions, Compatibility, and More". Myo. Thalmic Labs. https://web.archive.org/web/20170126134017/https://www.myo.com/techspecs. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Evan Ackerman (2014-02-11). "Myo Armband Provides Effortless Gesture Control of Robots, Anything Else". IEEE Spectrum. https://spectrum.ieee.org/thalmic-myo-armband-provides-effortless-gesture-control-of-robots. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ryan Lawler (2013-02-25). "Y Combinator-Backed Thalmic Labs Introduces MYO, A $149 Armband For Gesture Control". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/25/thalmic-labs-myo/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ian Hardy (2014-07-30). "Thalmic Labs begins shipping Myo Developer Kit, says pre-orders topped 40,000 units". MobileSyrup. https://mobilesyrup.com/2014/07/30/thalmic-labs-begins-shipping-myo-developer-kit-says-pre-orders-topped-40000-units/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Myo(TM) Gesture Control Armband Now Available on Amazon.com". Yahoo Finance. Thalmic Labs. 2015-03-02. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/myo-tm-gesture-control-armband-140000763.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Darrell Etherington (2014-03-14). "Watch Thalmic Integrate The Myo Armband And Oculus Rift To Get Your Hands In The Game". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/03/14/watch-thalmic-integrate-the-myo-armband-and-oculus-rift-to-get-your-hands-in-the-game/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Darrell Etherington (2014-08-19). "Thalmic Reveals Its Enterprise Play For the Myo Armband, Including Google Glass Integration". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/08/19/thalmic-reveals-its-enterprise-play-for-the-myo-armband-including-google-glass-integration/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Jon Fingas (2018-10-13). "Thalmic axes Myo gesture armband to make 'entirely different' product". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2018-10-13-thalmic-stops-myo-gesture-armband-sales.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Nicole Lee (2018-10-23). "Custom-made smart glasses pick up where Google Glass left off". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2018-10-23-north-focals-smart-glasses-hands-on.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Kyle Wiggers (2019-06-27). "Ctrl-labs acquires Myo armband patents from North, joins OpenXR working group". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/2019/06/27/ctrl-labs-acquires-myo-armband-patents-from-north-joins-openxr-working-group/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Lucas Matney (2019-09-23). "Facebook buys startup building neural monitoring armband". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/23/facebook-buys-startup-building-neural-monitoring-armband/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  12. ↑ Darrell Etherington (2013-06-05). "Thalmic Labs Raises $14.5M To Make The MYO Armband The Next Big Thing In Gesture Control". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2013/06/05/thalmic-labs-raises-14-5m-to-make-the-myo-armband-the-next-big-thing-in-gesture-control. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Jane McEntegart (2015-01-02). "Thalmic co-founder Stephen Lake says 24% of Myo pre-orders have shipped". BetaKit. https://betakit.com/thalmic-founder-stephen-lake-says-12-of-myo-pre-orders-have-shipped/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  14. ↑ Darrell Etherington (2014-07-23). "Hands On With The Production Version Of The Myo Gesture Control Armband". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/23/hands-on-with-the-production-version-of-the-myo-gesture-control-armband/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Richard Lai (2015-01-19). "Muscle-sensing Myo gesture armband will be on Amazon this quarter". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2015-01-19-myo-armband-amazon.html. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  16. ↑ Jonathan Lamont (2018-10-13). "Thalmic Labs ends sales of Myo armband as it works on its next project". MobileSyrup. https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/10/13/thalmic-labs-myo-ends-sales-next-project/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  17. ↑ "thalmiclabs/myo-bluetooth". GitHub. Thalmic Labs. https://github.com/thalmiclabs/myo-bluetooth. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  18. ↑ Lucas Matney (2019-06-27). "CTRL-labs scoops up Myo armband tech from North". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/27/ctrl-labs-scoops-up-myo-armband-tech-from-north/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Nigel Whitfield (2015-10-12). "Meaningful gesture: Thalmic Labs Myo motion sensing armband". The Register. https://www.theregister.com/2015/10/12/review_thalmic_labs_myo_motion_armband/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Stefano Pizzolato, Luca Tagliapietra, Matteo Cognolato, Monica Reggiani, Henning Müller, Manfredo Atzori (2017). "Comparison of six electromyography acquisition setups on hand movement classification tasks". PLOS ONE, vol. 12, no. 10, e0186132. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186132. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  21. ↑ Ruihao Zhang, Yingping Hong, Helei Dong, Xiong Yang, Huixin Zhang, Lizhi Dang (2025-12-24). "Advances in electromyography armbands for gesture recognition and multimodal fusion". iScience, vol. 29, no. 1, 114517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.114517. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  22. ↑ Darrell Etherington (2014-02-05). "Oculus Rift And Thalmic's Myo Armband Are A Match Made In Heaven, Say Founders And Investors". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/05/oculus-rift-and-thalmics-myo-armband-are-a-match-made-in-heaven-say-founders-and-investors/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  23. ↑ Brian Chau, Ivan Phelan, Phillip Ta, Sarah Humbert, Justin Hata, Duc Tran (2017). "Immersive Virtual Reality Therapy with Myoelectric Control for Treatment-resistant Phantom Limb Pain: Case Report". Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience, vol. 14, no. 7-8. https://innovationscns.com/phantom-limb-pain-july-august-2017/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  24. ↑ Jessica Galang (2016-01-19). "Johns Hopkins researchers use Myo to develop first gesture-controlled prosthetic attached to a skeleton". BetaKit. https://betakit.com/johns-hopkins-researchers-use-myo-to-develop-first-gesture-controlled-prosthetic-attached-to-a-skeleton/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
  25. ↑ Lisa Eadicicco (2016-01-20). "Review: Myo Armband Enables Gesture-Controlled Computing". Time. https://time.com/4173507/myo-armband-review/. Retrieved 2026-09-27.
Retrieved from "https://vrarwiki.com/index.php?title=Myo&oldid=45856"