The video embedded above shows Digital Wheel Art in action, a process that uses the Wiimote's bluetooth capabilities to translate art onto a screen. YoungHyun Chung developed the project after interacting with children suffering from cerebral palsy, as they lack the ability to express themselves artistically.
Digital Wheel Art is not only a means of self-expression, though; it also provides art therapy for people suffering from disabilities. Using Johnny Lee's whiteboard ideas as a starting point, Chung managed to create a painting program that traces the path of the Wiimote. The Wiimote can thereby be attached to a wheelchair, allowing disabled people to paint digitally with simple movements. To change colors, the user only has to tilt his or her head.
We're certainly impressed by Chung's efforts, and we're glad to see video game technology being use to help others. Kudos to you, Mr. Chung.
Unlike most people, when I brought Wii Fit home for the first time, I didn't head straight to my Wii and slide the disc in to play. Instead, I tore apart the packaging to get at the Balance Board, which I then attempted to "hook up" to my computer. It took a while and a change in my method of operating, but I eventually got the thing connected and working in GlovePIE. It was at that point I started realizing what the Balance Board was really capable of, and this week I'll be sharing with you a few things I've learned about this new peripheral, so that you can start scripting for it and letting your imagination run wild.
While we've seen a nunchuk control a robotic camera and the U.S. government's experimental Packbot, we've yet to see anything as sophisticated as this. With the video being past the post break (sorry, but it autoplays and we can't be having that on the main page), we'll save the narrative introduction of describing what this thing is and why it does what it does so well. Just know this: it's pretty awesome.
Cruise past the post break and check out this Wiimote-controlled robotic arm and see for yourself.
The idea of using the humble Wiimote to create music seems to have really fired the imagination of the hacking community recently. DJingWiiJing and drumming are already both possible with the waffly versatile controller and a bit of know-how, and now those of you who lack the funds for Guitar Hero III can get your virtual shred on for free.
Hacker Evan, maker of the Wiimote drum sampler we linked to exactly one paragraph ago, has developed software that allows users to play air guitar, simply by "strumming" the Remote while holding down the d-pad to alternate between chords, or the B button to toggle between major and minor chords. As Evan points out, this has a similar feel to Jam Sessions on the Nintendo DS, which is far from a bad thing if you ask us.
Every Tuesday, Mike Sylvester brings you REVOLUTIONARY, a look at the wide world of Wii possibilities.
Are you getting tired of "Wii gimmicks?" Has waggling lost its charm? Has the Wii's cheese become old and moldy and sent you looking for the bathroom? And are you tired of seeing everyday words being pwiif ... *ahem* - prefixed with "Wii?" If the answer to all of those questions is a resounding "Heck no!" then read on as we wiicap Revolutionaries past, and wiivisit the projects and hobbies previously featured and see how they've progressed since last we discussed them.
If we could, we'd cut down on all the remotes we have lying around our family room and operate everything with our Wii Remote -- televisions, DVD players, our downward-spiraling lives, etc. -- but so far, the white wand hasn't been too useful outside of playing video games.
Mike Anderson's BlueTunes application adds an extra feature to the remote, allowing you to mess with the controls on media players like iTunes, Winamp, and Windows Media Player. Once you've installed the program on your computer and detected the remote as a bluetooth device, you'll be able to execute a number of playback functions by either pushing the controller's buttons or waving it around.
Unfortunately, if you're like us and have a playlist filled with nothing but Bel Biv Devoe's "Poison," using an application like BlueTunes to change tracks wouldn't make much sense. Really, there's no reason why you should ever skip "Poison," unless, of course, you want to listen to more "Poison."
People really seem to want to play drums with the Wiimote, and who can blame them? Everyone likes to rock out from time to time ... after, of course, double-checking to make sure no one can see you. Or maybe that part's just us being paranoid about our air-drumming skills.
This week's featured video allows you to live the dream in a simple fashion: download some software, pick up your Wii remote, and start building up your chops. It's all explained (and demonstrated) in the video after the jump.
Years from now, we'll laugh at how we once depended on dated technology like keys and key cards. We'll mime the motions of manually unlocking a door while our friends guffaw at the absurdity of our adolescence. We'll all shake our heads at the joke our lives used to be.
We have a long way to go before we can telepathically open doors, travel to distant star systems on a whim, or make out with holographic hussies in a holodeck, but a group of Japanese tinkerers have started taking the steps to get us there. Setting up a lock motor with a PC that accepts bluetooth commands, they've jury-rigged a door to unlock when it picks up motion from a Wii remote. Futuristic!
We can't imagine this as being very secure, so don't plan on guarding your important documents or Pokemon cards with one of these DIY locks. Check past the jump for video of the setup in action.
Who knew that having a dome could be so cool? Paul Bourke outfitted one to create an immersive environment that he could steer through with a Wii remote. Using a data projector and specialized software on his MacBook Pro, he was able to display navigable movies on the hollow half-sphere.
Considering its accelerometers and bluetooth functionality, the remote seems perfect as a low-cost interface device for this kind of setup, but Paul found that though the controller is usable, it isn't as accurate as he'd like. We hope that doesn't stop someone from creating a fully-developed astronomy simulation out of this! Check past the post break for video of the experiment in action.
A nifty little app by the name of DarwiinRemote allows Mac users to hook their Wiimote up to their system and use it as if it were an Apple Remote. Also, since the Wiimote uses Bluetooth technology, it works on most Macs. Any Mac users out there willing to give this a try?
You'd think a company like Nintendo would hype up all the features of its new console to the point of abject sin, right? Well, all you savvy tech guys out there, there may be at least one Nintendo isn't telling you about.
Some readers over at the Official Nintendo Forums are claiming an interesting ability of the Wii: it has the capability of receiving Bluetooth signals from various devices, including cellular phones. Apparently, one is able to go right into the Photo Channel of the Wii and immediately access pictures from a nearby Bluetooth-enabled cell phone, with no hassle or setup, as long as an SD card is inserted into the system. This is an extremely convenient way to view pictures from a cell phone on a larger screen, and would be a welcome addition to the functionality of the Photo Channel.
With the Wii's apparent ability to receive and transmit Bluetooth to any generic device, might we see Bluetooth headset compatibility for voice chat in the future? Not having to buy a proprietary headset would be awesome, no?
[Update 1: Alas, this has been proven 100% false. Why are people such jerks?]
