Here is our top 5 list of cool things to do with your Nintendo Wiimote. Got others that should be in the list? Post them in the comments.
5. Wii Remote + Goggles
Fly a plane with the Wiimote.
“I thought it would be cool to be able to use the wii remote to control goggles so I knocked together a really simple glovepie script to do it. It replicates the pitch and roll of the remote to control the plane, + and - control speed and B fires. Please excuse the crappy video filmed on a mobile phone…”
Move over DJ turn table and say hello to the DJ WiiJ.
Video after the jump.
“Welcome to DJ Wiij. The first and original djing website dedicated to using Nintendo Wiimotes. As much of a gimmick this looks like, it really works like a charm. But dont take my word for it, find out yourself. Use one of the many tutorials and premade setups to get started. The great thing about Wiijing is that it is totally customizable, though I think you might find the premade setups have most of what you would need. Also if you yourself are interested in Wiijing, I am hoping to get a Wiij community started on this website shortly, so that Wiij’s can post mixes, give tips, ask questions and network.”
I can see this cool robot creating the first Wiimote related death… But in all seriousness what a great job interfacing the controller to an industrial arm!
“Brian and I were talking in his office a couple weeks ago about the Kuka robots’ fast reactions to serial data, and I realized, hey, why not hook it to a WiiMote? We had both fallen for Nintendo’s plucky little controller like everyone else, and had seen plenty of other WiiMote hacks. It had been a number of weeks of work without any rest, so we decided to set aside the coming Saturday to hook up one of the robots to a WiiMote.
The idea was to take one industrial robot, add a laptop talking to a WiiMote, strap on a tennis racket, have it follow the swings that the user makes, and do it all in a few hours on a Saturday so we could get back to our busy schedules. Of course we had to put on a sword too, and if there was time, maybe an Airsoft gun. Also, we wanted it to fight people, but you can’t have everything.
I dragged myself out of bed at noon-thirty and called Brian to see if he still wanted to try the Wii hack. We met at the office (where we spend most of our Saturdays) and I set to work on the WiiMote-to-robot software. He began the epic process of attaching a tennis racket to the KR16 and programming the physical motions into it.
A KR16 is a small industrial robot by Kuka. There were a couple in the shop waiting to be installed for various industrial projects. The one we were using had a polishing wheel on it.”
“The next version of Robosapien Dance Machine, the free open source program also known as Robodance, has support for the Nintendo Wii Remote. You can watch a funny sneak preview video of this new release in action now. ( Warning: this video contains graphic footage of a robot tickling Elmo! )
Robodance already lets you control your WowWee robot using just your voice, and when you add in the power of scripts with the easy to use Wii remote, you get an unbeatable combination for creating hilarious performances for you and your family. The easy to use drag and drop interface makes the program accessible to almost anyone with a Windows PC and a supported infrared transmitter.
Robodance won the coveted SourceForge Project Of The Month award for May 2005. The new version is expected to be released on February 1, 2007, or sooner.”
Check out WiiSticks for some fun with your Wiimote.
“WiiSticks is my first attempt at combining input from a Wii remote and physics simulation. In the game the user holds 2 wii remotes (or 1 remote with a nunchuck attachment), and flips and spins a rod back and forth between 2 sticks that they control directly with the remote. The input is very intuitive, even providing basic force feedback (the controller rumbles on contact with other objects).
A release version will be available soon. Requires a bluetooth adaptor for your windows PC, and at least 1 Wii remote + Nunchuck, or 2 Wii remotes.
FEATURES
* intuitive controls feel “like the real thing”
* fully playable with only the wii remote (no mouse or keyboard required)
* expandable design means more sticks can be added easily”
