Systems and methods for electric discharge-based sensing via wearables donned by users of artificial reality systems

A wearable comprising:

• a fastener dimensioned to facilitate securing the wearable to a user of an artificial reality system;
• an energy measuring device that measures an amount of electric charge transferred between a body of the user and a surface of an object capable of conducting an electric charge;
• a body-charging device that charges the body of the user relative to the surface of the object, wherein the body-charging device comprises:
• a grounding electrode that establishes an electrical reference to the surface;
• and
• a charging electrode that electrically couples an output of the body-charging device to the body of the user;
• and
• at least one processing device communicatively coupled to the energy measuring device, wherein the processing device:
• detects, based at least in part on the amount of electric charge transfer measured by the energy measuring device, an interaction between the user and the surface of the object;
• and
• in response to detecting the interaction between the user and the surface of the object, generates an input command for the artificial reality system based at least in part on the interaction detected between the user and the surface.

A method comprising:

• measuring, by an electrometer incorporated into a wearable donned by a user of an artificial reality system, an amount of electric charge transfer between a body of the user and a surface of an object capable of conducting an electric charge, wherein the amount of electric charge transfer comprises an electric charge transferred from the body of the user to the surface of the object when the user touches the object;
• charging, by a body-charging device, the body of the user relative to the surface of the object, wherein the body-charging device comprises:
• a grounding electrode that establishes an electrical reference to the surface;
• and
• a charging electrode that electrically couples an output of the body-charging device to the body of the user;
• detecting, by a processing device communicatively coupled to the electrometer, an interaction between the user and the surface of the object based at least in part on the amount of electric charge transfer measured by the electrometer;
• and
• generating, by the processing device, an input command for the artificial reality system based at least in part on the interaction detected between the user and the surface of the object in response to detecting the interaction between the user and the surface.