University of Tokyo researchers unveil picoRing, an ultralow-power ring mouse that controls AR glasses for over a month on one charge.
For decades, the computer mouse has been the cornerstone of digital interaction. Its familiar shape and motion have outlasted countless innovations, from touchpads to voice commands. Yet as technology becomes increasingly wearable and mobile, especially with the rise of augmented and virtual reality , the need for new, more natural input methods is growing.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo believe they may have found a compelling answer. They have developed picoRing, a tiny, ultralow-power ring-based wireless mouse that could make controlling AR glasses more intuitive and energy-efficient. Despite rapid advances in computing, the mouse remains hard to replace because it’s fast, precise, and deeply intuitive. Previous attempts to reinvent it through gesture tracking, motion sensors, or wearable rings have often stumbled due to size, complexity, or poor battery life.Wearable, ring-style controllers in particular have struggled to balance functionality with comfort. But as AR and VR headsets become more common, a compact, desk-free input solution is increasingly desirable.“My team and I created picoRing, an ultralow-power, tiny mouse that controls AR glasses for over a month on a single charge,” said Project Assistant Professor Ryo Takahashi from the University of Tokyo’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Systems.Takahashi said earlier smart rings couldn’t last long because their small 50–60 milliwatt-hour batteries couldn’t sustain the power needed for communication. The team’s solution was to make picoRing consume hundreds of times less power, between 30 and 500 microwatts.The researchers introduced a watchlike wristband that acts as a signal relay between the ring and the connected device. “This allowed us to use far weaker, and less power-hungry, communications components in the ring itself,” Takahashi said.Power efficiency through new communication designConventional communication methods couldn’t deliver both range and efficiency. Bluetooth, while efficient for many devices, used too much power for this purpose, and NFC, though power-free, only worked at very close distances.To bridge that gap, Takahashi’s team developed a semi-passive inductive telemetry system. It relies on a wire coil with distributed capacitors that naturally amplify magnetic fields, boosting communication range without active amplification. The result is a 5-gram ring that can transmit data using minimal energy.“Although it’s just a prototype, picoRing could have several useful impacts on the way people interact with technology,” said Takahashi. He added that beyond controlling AR glasses, the device could pave the way for longer-lasting wearables or serve as a base for health sensors.Still, picoRing isn’t perfect. “It’s still relatively bulky for a ring, suffers from some interference and can only transfer quite simple information. Scrolling and pressing are OK, but complex hand gestures aren’t possible yet,” Takahashi said.Future applicationsThe team plans to improve comfort and reliability, especially in crowded wireless environments. Future tests will explore long-duration use and special applications. The wristband, while currently essential, might be replaced in the future by conductive fabrics or other wireless relays.“Our technology could be adapted for health monitoring,” Takahashi said. “A ring is in close contact with the skin, which makes it a good place to measure signals like heart rate or stress-related changes.”For now, picoRing fits best in AR and VR environments where traditional mice are impractical. The prototype, which can run for over a month on a single charge, is detailed in the Proceedings of the 38th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology.
Picoring Ring Controller Ring Mouse University Of Tokyo Virtual Reality Wearable Technology Wireless Mouse
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