The archive · Product Ideas · Product decision · 2023–2024
Mudra Band: a wristband that reads neural signals to control Apple Watch — shipped 2023
Wearable Devices embeds neural sensors in an Apple Watch strap so gestures — pinch, tap, flick — control the watch, phone, Mac and TV without touching a screen.
Wearable Devices
What it had to solve
Controlling an Apple Watch or the devices around it meant touching a screen, and Apple's own gesture support was limited. Wearable Devices, an Israeli neuro-tech company, wanted to move the input from the glass to the body: read the intent at the wrist and let natural hand movements do the work.
How it works
Wearable Devices, an Israeli company founded around neural sensing, argued that wearables were still trapped in touchscreen logic: operating an Apple Watch — or the iPhone, Mac and Apple TV around it — required a finger on glass, and Apple's own gesture support was limited. Its bet was to put the sensor on the body instead of in the display.
The Mudra Band embeds three surface-EMG sensors and a 6-DoF IMU in a 36-gram Apple Watch strap. On-device AI reads the neural signals produced by finger and wrist movements and translates them into commands — point, click, drag-and-drop, scroll — using natural gestures like pinching thumb and index finger. A custom watch face lets users switch which paired device they control, and the companion app even displays live surface nerve conductance signals.
The first units shipped in September 2023, and the company says the technology has been commercially available since then and used by thousands of people worldwide. iMore covered the $349 band as a way to bring hands-free gesture control to any Apple Watch — including older models Apple left out of its newer gesture features. The same platform later expanded into Mudra Link for any operating system and a developer kit aimed at AR/XR, robotics and industry.
Why it lands
- It moves the input surface from the screen to the wrist: muscle signals turn every finger into a controller, no touch required.
- Natural gestures — pinch, tap, flick — map to familiar actions, so there is little learning curve.
- One band controls the whole Apple ecosystem, turning a watch strap into a universal remote.
- Showing live neural signals in the app makes the invisible technology tangible and builds trust.
- It extends gesture control to older Apple Watches, reaching hardware Apple's own gestures skipped.
What it did
The company reports the technology has been commercially available since 2023 and is used by thousands of users worldwide; iMore covered the $349 band as bringing gesture control to any Apple Watch, including older models; the same platform later became Mudra Link for any OS, plus a developer kit for XR and robotics.
What you can take
When the touchscreen is the bottleneck, move the input onto the body: sensing muscle signals at the wrist turns every finger into a controller and makes the device work hands-free.
Since then
Mudra Band's first batch shipped in September 2023, and the company reports thousands of users worldwide. iMore tested it at $349 and called it a way to bring gestures to any Apple Watch. Wearable Devices then applied the same neural platform to Mudra Link for non-Apple devices, launched a developer-kit program for AR/XR and robotics, and kept presenting at CES. The core idea — reading movement intent at the wrist instead of touching a screen — became a recurring pattern in wearables and XR input design.
Sources
- Apple Watch Users Received The First Wearable Devices Mudra Bands (press release)
- This Apple Watch band gives your smartwatch hands-free gesture controls
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