Thalmic Labs today announced the launch of its MYO armband developer program. Interested developers can apply to become part of the program through the new developer portal, which includes an application form that Thalmic will use to select key partners to participate. Early APIs and access will be limited, but those chosen will be provided with pre-production MYO hardware as soon as later this summer, the company says.
MYO’s developer program also prioritizes getting units to devs who’ve pre-ordered the device through its existing consumer pre-order page. Thalmic will also be vetting ideas submitted for MYO apps, and cherry picking the very best for this early limited developer platform launch to help show off the hardware in the best possible light for its upcoming launch.
Developer outreach is a key part of MYO’s launch strategy, as the success of the unity will hinge on whether or not buyers of the device actually have something to do with the unique control interface when it arrives. Recently, the company kicked off its #ifihadMYO Twitter-based contest to solicit ideas of what might be possible with the gadget, which detects fine motor movements of a wearer’s arm through electrical impulses and translates that into action on a connected device, and the dev program follows to help bring some of those ideas to light.
Thalmic is likely looking for a range of different types of applications, as it has talked up the potential for MYO to have an impact in a variety of industries. MYO is extremely geeky tech, so translating that to something that consumers will not only understand but actively desire requires proof not only of its utility, but also of versatility, too; this isn’t a device that people will likely buy for one neat integration at $149.00, especially given that it’s worn high up on the forearm, and is probably best left on for extended computing sessions in terms of convenience and ergonomics.
Now that Thalmic has closed its $14.5 million Series A round, developer outreach and support should be its primary focus, aside from actually shipping the hardware itself. Luckily it has the resources to support an active dev community now, so long as there’s interest from those who can build an app ecosystem MYO can be proud of.