NailO — Hybrid Body Lab

NailO: Fingernails as an Input Surface

NailO is a wearable input device in the form of a commercialized nail art sticker. It works as a miniaturized trackpad the size and thickness of a fingernail that can connect to your mobile devices; it also enables wearers to customize the device to fit the wearer’s personal style. NailO allows wearers to perform different functions on a phone or PC with different gestures, and the wearer can easily alter its appearance with a nail art design layer, creating a combination of functionality and aesthetics.

From the fashion-conscious, to techies, and anyone in between, NailO can make a style, art, or a design statement; but in its more neutral, natural-looking example it can be worn and used only for its functionality. As a nail art sticker, NailO is small, discreet, and removable. Interactions through NailO can be private and subtle, for example attracting minimal attention when you are in a meeting but need to reply to an urgent text message. Mimicking the form of a cosmetic extension, NailO blends into and decorates one’s body when attached, yet remains removable at the wearer’s discretion, giving the wearer power and control over the level of intimacy of the device to one’s body.

Publication:
Kao, H.-L. C., Dementyev, A., Paradiso, J., Schmandt, C., “NailO: Fingernails as an Input Surface”, ACM CHI 2015 [DOI] [PDF] (Best Paper Honorable Mention)

Project Credits:
Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao (Lead Researcher), Conducted at the MIT Media Lab
Artem Dementyev, MIT Media Lab,
Joe Paradiso, MIT Meda Lab
Chris Schmandt, MIT Media Lab
MIT MEDIA LAB

Press Coverage (selected):

MIT News Office (04/17/2015): "Thumbnail track pad: Unobtrusive wearable sensor could operate digital devices or augment other device interfaces." (Front page story on MIT's website)
TIME (04/17/2015): "Get Ready To Turn Your Thumb Into a Miniature Trackpad"
CNET (04/16/2015): "NailO turns your fingernail into a tiny trackpad"
WIRED (04/21/2015): "This Adorable Thumbnail Trackpad Could Actually Be Useful"
Fast Company (04/20/2015): "From MIT: This Shiny Nail Art Is Actually A Tiny Bluetooth Trackpad"
PSFK (04/28/2015): "Unobtrusive Thumbnail Trackpad Could Be Next Iteration of the Wearable"
Engadget (04/18/2015): "Tiny trackpad uses your thumbnail to navigate devices"
Business Insider (01/20/2016): This genius device out of MIT turns your thumbnail into a wireless trackpad
The Verge (04/20/2015): "Using this thumbnail trackpad is like playing the world’s smallest violin"
Smithsonian.com (04/20/2015): "This Tiny Trackpad Fits on a Fingernail"
Tech Crunch (04/17/2015): "This Tiny Sensor Turns Your Thumbnail Into A Trackpad"
GIZMODO (04/17/2015): "This Little Device Turns Your Thumb Nail Into a Track Pad"
Science Daily (04/16/2015): Wearable device turns user's thumbnail into a miniature wireless track pad

NailO flexible PCB prototype, form factor is miniaturized close to that of a nail art sticker. (Image courtesy of MIT Media Lab)

NailO first prototype with Rigid PCB and copper printed electrodes, it can be personalized with top nail art layer. The 4 layers are shown individually, stacked on top of each other. (Image courtesy of MIT Media Lab)

NailO works as a X-Y coordinate touchpad on your fingernails. (Image courtesy of MIT Media Lab)

NailO affords swipe gestures. (Image courtesy of MIT Media Lab)

Example scenario of NailO used as remote controller for one-handed input, when hands are busy cooking. (Image courtesy of MIT Media Lab)

Special thanks:
We thank Skyler Kropper for modeling photos, Nan-Wei Gong for hardware prototyping support, Pip Mothersill for writing advice, Joi Ito, bunnie Huang and Jie Qi for Shenzhen manufacturing support.