Sometimes your hands are completely tied up when you need to use a device the most—so even gesture recognition is no use, let alone a touchscreen. MIT’s latest input device though, which turns your thumbnail into a track pad, could help.

NailO is inspired, apparently, by decorative nail stickers—but it seems a little more useful than that. Developed at MIT’s Media Lab, the multilayer device—comprising battery, circuitry, capacitive sensors and a cover—takes your touch and sends it via Bluetooth to a mobile device or computer.

The device recognizes several gestures, and is shown in use in the video below. It’s also capable of being used to type characters, though we suspect that’s a rather laborious process. Better, probably, used in situations where both hands are a full but a quick thumb swipe is convenient: when your’re cooking, say, or looking at instructions while your hands are occupied with tools.

via This Little Device Turns Your Thumb Nail Into a Track Pad.