The amazing uses of the wiimote!

Vault Of Thrones · 03-27-2008, 12:05 AM

Today I remembered that the wiimote communicates to the wii using bluetooth, and after some research I came up with this. It is a Mac application that lets you use your wiimote like to access your computer. You can use an IR source to make it work as a mouse also.

I think that I'm going to make myself a sensor bar that will attach to the top part of my laptop so I can use it to draw, and do other stuff.

So what potential uses can you think of for this. So far all I have is an easy tablet notebook, and a laser pointer like control for projectors.

TDK · 03-27-2008, 12:47 AM

That's certainly an interesting and informative article. Really, the candle thing is quite ingenious.

Connecting to the computer with the remote would certainly make for some interesting homebrew games.

Eltargrim · 03-27-2008, 02:06 AM

On a similar note, this man is a genius. The VR display is of particular interest for me.

synkr0nized · 03-27-2008, 11:42 AM

ha ha
A colleague of mine and I here in my department did a small project using the Wiimote as the puppetmaster controls for a virtual doll/person model back in Spring 2007. We had come across this article, or at least one like it, and seen the Mac version in action. My partner had a Windows laptop, though, on which we developed it, so we must have found a Windows version out there, too. Or maybe he just connected it to his Bluetooth and we guessed.

The sensor bar is pretty funny, as, just like the old-school zap gun, the sensor's actually in the controller and not the bar. The Wii is great in how it uses older technology to make something new.

Vault Of Thrones · 03-27-2008, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eltargrim

On a similar note, this man is a genius. The VR display is of particular interest for me.

Those are all neat, I didn't realize that the wii mote itself could be the sensor and the IR locations could be mobile. I like the idea of attaching lights to your hands and body, then a computer would know where your hands are in relation to your body. That would make a great archery game.

I'm going to spend this weekend trying to make a point-able projector screen, with two separate wireless IR transmitters that can be clipped on to either side of a projector screen. Pointing at the screen = moving the mouse.

EDIT: So this weekend I need to go to Radio Shack. We only had two spare remotes, and it's the funniest thing. Did you know that when you hook up LED's the wrong way... they burn out. So project point-able projector has been put on hold. (At least until I get some more IR LED's, and a few diodes to stop them from being hooked up the wrong way.)

Katuko · 03-29-2008, 09:25 AM

I've been using Game Maker for a while now, and on the official forum someone's made a program extension that allows your games to use Wiimote input. It didn't come with instructions on how to hook up your Wiimote to the PC, but since he's made the extension, he must've managed to do it.

Still, doesn't your mouse function the same way that a Wiimote would?
(Heh, can't get this out of my head: "Use your wiimote contwol to pway games on yo' TV." :P)

bluestarultor · 03-31-2008, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vault Of Thrones

EDIT: So this weekend I need to go to Radio Shack. We only had two spare remotes, and it's the funniest thing. Did you know that when you hook up LED's the wrong way... they burn out. So project point-able projector has been put on hold. (At least until I get some more IR LED's, and a few diodes to stop them from being hooked up the wrong way.)

They're diodes, not bulbs. So, yes, they only work one way. Think of them as a circuit.

It surprises me that they burned out, though. Usually, the worst you have to deal with is turning them around.

That said, I don't think it'll be easy to use as a tablet due to size and accuracy issues. But I'm sure there are other extensions you could find to turn your laptop into a wicked gaming system. Namely, seriously, get a copy of Oblivion and play it the way it was meant to be played.

Vault Of Thrones · 03-31-2008, 10:23 PM

After doing some research on Google, (on both circuits, and point-able displays) it seems that most of the work on "non-mouse" pointing devices is mostly in research stages. All of these are trying to use things like lasers, and complex screens to implement this. I know that these technologies will be better in the long run than a "wii-mouse", but they are also far more complex, so it will take lots of trial and error, as well as more time for them to perfect them. In the meantime...

There is a framework to go along with the wii-mote program, and the entire project is open source, so I think that I may try to find the bits that make it work as a mouse, and make them into some sort of mouse driver. Once you have that all you need are some really bright (powerful) IR lights so it will work from across a room, and you have a wii mouse pointer. I've already been using the key-mapping feature in Power-Points.

As far as my IR transmitter goes, when I went to Radio Shack over the weekend I didn't buy any spare LED's; I did buy some diodes though, thinking that they would help me not hook up anything up backwards (at least not hook them up backwards with much of a consequence). After accidently breaking the lead wire off of a green LED I was using as an indicator as to whether or not the IR ones were on, I decided I wasn't going to hook my remaining IR one to the diodes. I go to hook it up again (I'm using a USB cable I took apart so I can connect it to my computer), and when it doesn't work, I check the way it's hooked up, guess what: BACKWARDS.

I'm not going back to Radio Shack either. Charging me $1.99 for a single IR LED, I could buy a couple universal remotes for less than that, and just take their LED's. Anyways, I found a surplus electronics store on the internet and I think I'm going to order any other parts I need from there.

03-27-2008, 12:05 AM	#1
Vault Of Thrones A Threat to the District Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: /dev/null Posts: 444	The amazing uses of the wiimote! Today I remembered that the wiimote communicates to the wii using bluetooth, and after some research I came up with this. It is a Mac application that lets you use your wiimote like to access your computer. You can use an IR source to make it work as a mouse also. I think that I'm going to make myself a sensor bar that will attach to the top part of my laptop so I can use it to draw, and do other stuff. So what potential uses can you think of for this. So far all I have is an easy tablet notebook, and a laser pointer like control for projectors. __________________ Twitter!

03-27-2008, 02:06 AM	#3
Eltargrim Fifty-Talents Haversham Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: FABULOUS Posts: 1,904	On a similar note, this man is a genius. The VR display is of particular interest for me. __________________ <Insert witticism here; get credit; ???; profit!>

03-27-2008, 11:42 AM	#4
synkr0nized synk-ism Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: throughout the Wired Posts: 6,857	I never thought to post about our work. ha ha A colleague of mine and I here in my department did a small project using the Wiimote as the puppetmaster controls for a virtual doll/person model back in Spring 2007. We had come across this article, or at least one like it, and seen the Mac version in action. My partner had a Windows laptop, though, on which we developed it, so we must have found a Windows version out there, too. Or maybe he just connected it to his Bluetooth and we guessed. The sensor bar is pretty funny, as, just like the old-school zap gun, the sensor's actually in the controller and not the bar. The Wii is great in how it uses older technology to make something new. __________________ Find love.

03-31-2008, 10:23 PM	#8
Vault Of Thrones A Threat to the District Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: /dev/null Posts: 444	After doing some research on Google, (on both circuits, and point-able displays) it seems that most of the work on "non-mouse" pointing devices is mostly in research stages. All of these are trying to use things like lasers, and complex screens to implement this. I know that these technologies will be better in the long run than a "wii-mouse", but they are also far more complex, so it will take lots of trial and error, as well as more time for them to perfect them. In the meantime... There is a framework to go along with the wii-mote program, and the entire project is open source, so I think that I may try to find the bits that make it work as a mouse, and make them into some sort of mouse driver. Once you have that all you need are some really bright (powerful) IR lights so it will work from across a room, and you have a wii mouse pointer. I've already been using the key-mapping feature in Power-Points. As far as my IR transmitter goes, when I went to Radio Shack over the weekend I didn't buy any spare LED's; I did buy some diodes though, thinking that they would help me not hook up anything up backwards (at least not hook them up backwards with much of a consequence). After accidently breaking the lead wire off of a green LED I was using as an indicator as to whether or not the IR ones were on, I decided I wasn't going to hook my remaining IR one to the diodes. I go to hook it up again (I'm using a USB cable I took apart so I can connect it to my computer), and when it doesn't work, I check the way it's hooked up, guess what: BACKWARDS. I'm not going back to Radio Shack either. Charging me $1.99 for a single IR LED, I could buy a couple universal remotes for less than that, and just take their LED's. Anyways, I found a surplus electronics store on the internet and I think I'm going to order any other parts I need from there. __________________ Twitter!

03-27-2008, 12:47 AM	#2
TDK Sent to the cornfield Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Reality Posts: 2,914	That's certainly an interesting and informative article. Really, the candle thing is quite ingenious. Connecting to the computer with the remote would certainly make for some interesting homebrew games.

03-29-2008, 09:25 AM	#6
Katuko Aquatic Humanoid Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Norway Posts: 118	I've been using Game Maker for a while now, and on the official forum someone's made a program extension that allows your games to use Wiimote input. It didn't come with instructions on how to hook up your Wiimote to the PC, but since he's made the extension, he must've managed to do it. Still, doesn't your mouse function the same way that a Wiimote would? (Heh, can't get this out of my head: "Use your wiimote contwol to pway games on yo' TV." :P)