Posted on 03/28/2008 1:12:56 PM PDT by nypokerface
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, March 27 (UPI) -- Two U.S. Department of Energy scientists in Idaho say they have adapted technology from Nintendo's Wii remote to control a mine-clearing robot.
David Bruemmer and Douglas Few said they adapted the video game controller, which utilizes wireless technology that detects three dimensional movement, to control Packbot, a robot with bomb disposal capability, Sky News reported Thursday.
The scientists said operating the Wii remote is more instinctive than traditional controllers, which can take too much of the user's attention and prevent the operator from concentrating fully on data gathered by the machine.
The pair told New Scientist that they are also working on adapting the Apple iPhone to replace the laptop computers soldiers use to collect data from the robots.
Oh, LOL - have you seen the one where a packbot falls off a cliff, and the operator throws up?
See, kids playing video games have special training for mine clearing.
What’s the only thing cooler than a Wii? A Wii that fights terrorists!
I really enjoy playing with my Wii, but I don’t think I would dispose of a bomb with it.
The Wii remote is functional for the task of bomb removal, but the Wii remote has low resolution compared to other commercially available sensors.
For further info from the Carnegie Mellon grad student who first popularized using the Wii remote for tasks outside of the Wii gaming system check out his webpage and videos: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/
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