Researchers at UNIST in South Korea have developed a novel technique for smart device input using touch-sensitive fingernails, called Nailz.

As noted in the team’s paper, fingernails have long served as a site for body extension and are extremely accessible, making them a perfect unobtrusive input surface.

144 thumb/finger gestures were identified for the setup, with 29 selected as being most practical. This method was then tested with 94.3 percent accuracy.

The system is composed of flexible PCBs — glued to standard cosmetic artificial nails — along with an MPR121 capacitive sensing chip. All five nails are wired to a wrist-mounted MKR WiFi 1010 unit, which also features a BNO080 IMU for detecting movement. 

More details on Nailz can be found here and in the team’s full video.