Wearable bands and electromyographic gesture detection for command and control of wearable computing devices

A wearable electromyographic input system comprising:

• a wearable assembly configured to be worn on a user;
• a plurality of needle-less surface electrodes including at least one reference electrode and a plurality of signal electrodes, the wearable assembly configured to provide dry, non-adhesive touch-based contact between the electrodes and the user's skin when the wearable assembly is worn, the electrodes configured to measure myoelectric voltage differentials;
• and
• a processor operatively coupled to the electrodes;
• wherein the processor is configured to:
• (i) determine, from the myoelectric voltage differentials, an amplitude value indicative of strength of muscle activation;
• (ii) compute a control-effect magnitude by applying a nonlinear mapping function to the amplitude value;
• and
• (iii) determine, based on the myoelectric voltage differentials, a direction of a control effect selecting between a first direction and an opposite second direction of a control axis, whereby a virtual object is manipulated in accordance with the control-effect magnitude and the selected direction.