Three things sparked this thought process. First was that I had seen a video on television about a guy who had developed software that was a white board program using a standard computer, a Wii remote, a small IR LED board made from simple LEDs from Radio Shack, and some reflective tape. He then went on to make a cool touch and drag program that ran similar to an Ipod touch/Iphone. You could zoom in or out the same way you do with the Iphone screen using two fingers. You could also use the Wii remote as a mouse. The hardware was simple and the software, well that's all voodoo to me.
The second push was looking at Black Friday adds while browsing through a Cabela's add. It had a Wii game that was a hunting game that came with a wii controller in the shape of a toy rifle. I thought it looked somewhat cool, though rather toyish and nothing more than a little playing around.
The final spark was tonight when I came back from dinner board stiff wanting only to hit a range and shoot. That's when the idea to turn a standard rifle into a Wii remote. Pop a target up on the screen, calibrate the sensor bar to the screen to your rifle position, and you are in business. Developed correctly you would just point and shoot at a target and be good to go.
After a bit of research on how the Wii remote works it looks like the remote is doing two things. Transmitting and receiving. Most standard remote controls just transmit. They send the button input to the console and the console turns those signals into actions. The Wii remote does this but it also receives. While there is a gyro in the remote the front of the remote is a IR camera. For those familiar with the Wii system, the black bar that goes near the TV or the Wii console is a light bar. It has LEDs emitting IR light at the two edges. Based on these lights being in a fixed position relative to the picture on the screen, the system calculates where the remote is point in relation based on what the camera sees.
The second push was looking at Black Friday adds while browsing through a Cabela's add. It had a Wii game that was a hunting game that came with a wii controller in the shape of a toy rifle. I thought it looked somewhat cool, though rather toyish and nothing more than a little playing around.
The final spark was tonight when I came back from dinner board stiff wanting only to hit a range and shoot. That's when the idea to turn a standard rifle into a Wii remote. Pop a target up on the screen, calibrate the sensor bar to the screen to your rifle position, and you are in business. Developed correctly you would just point and shoot at a target and be good to go.
After a bit of research on how the Wii remote works it looks like the remote is doing two things. Transmitting and receiving. Most standard remote controls just transmit. They send the button input to the console and the console turns those signals into actions. The Wii remote does this but it also receives. While there is a gyro in the remote the front of the remote is a IR camera. For those familiar with the Wii system, the black bar that goes near the TV or the Wii console is a light bar. It has LEDs emitting IR light at the two edges. Based on these lights being in a fixed position relative to the picture on the screen, the system calculates where the remote is point in relation based on what the camera sees.