In creepy and strange news, someone has designed a finger that you plug into your phone or iPad that will drag your device over to you. Yes, like Thing on the Addams Family, except just one finger.
People, are we really this lazy? Is this where our society is now, full of people too blah to move five feet to grab their phone?
The answers to those questions is apparently yes, because someone made this electronic finger and is now selling it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bon9kr5BCwe/
The future of robotic devices is brought to you by Tech Radar, and it’s called the MobiLimb. It uses sensors and embedded electronics to scoot across a hard surface to bring you your phone. The finger’s “skin” is made from the same type of silicone that’s used in Hollywood to make masks and realistic prosthetics.
So yeah, it definitely looks like a real finger. You’ll have to decide whether it’s worth inviting this into your house just to not have to move off the couch. (The jury is out for me.)
The MobiLimb is the brainchild of four Frenchmen, including human-computer interaction researcher Marc Teyssier, who planned to present their findings at the User Interface Software and Technology Symposium in Berlin, Germany.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BpNObpal9Ay/
The finger does more than just drag your phone, too – it taps the table when you get a notification, and if you get a smiley-face emoji, it will (for some ungodly reason) softly stroke your hand or inner wrist. The researchers say the device is programmed to “react expressively to users actions to foster curiosity and engagement” and “provides rich haptic feedback such as strokes, pats, and other tactile stimuli on the hand or the wrist to convey emotions during mediated multimodal communications.”
Basically, they’re giving your phone human emotions. So , that’s a thing!
If the finger is too much for you, they also offer an option that more resembles a wagging tail, and it can also be used as a joystick or a prop.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BotjueZAdOo/
Just no, guys. I’m sorry, but I’m going to need to go the extra mile with social distancing if any of my friends show up with one of these.
No online contact, either.
Would you buy one of these things? If so, please explain yourself in the comments.
