Inspiration
Google CEO Sundar Pichai - "People should be able to interact with computing in a natural and seamless way. With mobile came multi-touch,...We need to be able to use sensory with voice, gestures, and vision to make the experience much more seamless.
What it does
Meta is a software and hardware company developing machine learning gesture recognition for human to computer interaction. Meta's technology platform is a 3DOF gesture sensing platform that allows users to control digital computing in many verticals. The technology can be integrated into many other forms on the chip level including remote controls, smartphones, smartwatches, and augmented reality headset. Meta has developed multiple applications that interact across different verticals including mobile, TV, AR/VR, IOT, Interactive, robotics and industrial.
Users can control the TV experience using motion control and gesture recognition. This system does not replace, but is used in complement with current technologies. Currently, the most adopted way to interface with TV is using a physical remote with tactile buttons. Coming in as secondary control, is the advancement of digital controls on mobile, as well as voice. These interaction technologies are limited as technology and content advances. For example, using remotes will not allow you to naturally interact with android mobile content such as gaming and streamed/casted mobile content. Users also experience pain points with proximity and cross platform control. With voice control, users face pain points such as proximity, noise interference, inaccurate interpretation, and multiple selection/scrolling user interface challenges. Overall there are many challenges to naturally interacting across multiple platforms with a compatible system. Meta's system is meant to complement current systems and provide a seamless interactive experience for the future of digital interaction across many different systems.
User Experience: Pair the system (wrist wearable (band, smartwatch) or remote) via bluetooth and control your TV, IOT, AR/VR, games, and interactive content with Meta's gesture and motion technology. Control android TV applications using intuitive motion and gesture. Using a Meta enabled devices (wearable, remote, etc.), pair the device to any bluetooth devices such as an android TV, open a compatible application or compatible user system. Control the system using library of gestures and motion control. Motion control and gestures: Meta's technology machine learning gesture recognition and motion control system has a library of interactive controls. Use AirMouse function - This function is similar to a mouse in free space. The experience is similar to a bluetooth mouse and a Wii/switch controller combined. Just point or move to control a cursor in 3D space. ML gesture recognition - This function allows the user to gesture a symbol, object, numbers, and signatures in the air as inputs. For example, a user draws a circle which corresponds to turning on the device. The user can draw a number and the system can recognize the number as channel input. These systems can also be used for gaming, augmented reality, virtual reality, IOT, and interactive content control.
Multi User Interaction With Meta's platform, multiple users can interact on the same Android TV device by connecting multiple compatible devices to one Android TV box. User interaction becomes social in a traditionally single user system.
Meta has several Android TV applications for in-person demo (shown in demo video)
Connected Home/IOT - Use gestures and motion to control the connected home. A user can gesture as a command to control their digital home products. For example - When a user gestures a circle, the circle gesture is a signal to turn on the smart lights. When a user draws a triangle, the Smart android TV turns on. When a user is at work and forgot to turn off devices at home, they gesture a check mark and it turns off all the automated devices. There are many use cases where a user does not have to be in proximity and control devices with a gesture.
Meta SDK: Meta has a Unity SDK for Android and IOS systems. Developers can access the SDK to create and port their interactive content to Android TV from other verticals such as mobile. Many mobile applications can then be accessed and interfaced on the android TV system.
Value Proposition
- Meta's technology can naturally interact with all interactive verticals of current and future and be relevant through technology advancements.
- Flagship technology that can integrate across all relevant digital and physical products - IOT/Connected Home, AR/VR, Gaming, Interactive entertainment
- Access the $100 billion dollar revenue generating mobile gaming content ported to android TV - No current interactive system compatible with TV using gesture or motion.
- Digital platform that can be accessed by 3rd party developers, internal licensees, and internal teams for future developments.
- Market ready tier 1 mass consumer grade lab grown technology - Foxconn manufacturing partner
How I built it
Our technology is lab grown technology in development since 2015. Our team consists of executives from IBM, Qualcomm, Phds in semiconductor industry, machine learning research scientist, and advisory members from Mophie, Verizon, Dreamworks, Zynga, Marvel, Microsoft and Nokia.
Challenges I ran into
The major challenges is connecting with a US based partner to adopt and make compatible applications with the technology. Meta is in the process of securing a corporate partner to utilize the market ready technology as a standard control system.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
Meta's technology is mass consumer grade ready with the ability to integrate into vertical systems at the corporate and consumer level. Meta has the infrastructure to support development, distribution, design and implementation for large corporate partners.
What I learned
Gesture recognition solutions are now being adopted by major corporations to advance the development of interactive content of the future. CTRL labs recently acquired by Facebook, uses EMG gesture for next generation content. Google implements radar Project SOLI into Pixel phones for gesture enabled android mobile interaction. The future of TV will also need a mass adoptable gesture solution using Meta's machine learning gesture recognition technology.
What's next for Meta Technology Next Generation TV Interaction
Meta is in the process of securing corporate partners to integrate as a standard technology in consumer products such as mobile phones, wearable devices, AR devices, remote controls and semiconductor solutions. Meta's gesture technology will be a standard system on 100's of millions of devices. Meta is currently incubating at Evonexus Irvine.
