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Wiimote Hacking Goes Big-Time

Posted by Zonk on from the it-takes-diff'rent-strokes-to-rule-the-world dept.

The Wall Street Journal is taking Wiimote hacking seriously. A front-page article from this past weekend discusses the many uses to which enterprising hackers have put the Wiimote, the motion sensing piece of the Wii console. Included is a video of a few of the projects in action. "Tim Groeneboom, who lives in the Netherlands, uses his Wii-mote to spice up his deejay act. He was inspired by a video on the Web of a California music student bobbing in front of the computer in his room and making jabbing motions with the Wii-mote to splice different tracks. During his second gig with the Wii-mote, Mr. Groeneboom, 22, says he was able to roam up to about 100 feet from his deejay booth and still be able to control how the music blended and do some sound effects ... Aaron Rasmussen has a sporting purpose for his Wii-mote. At his Garden Grove, Calif. software company, USMechatronics, he and his partner stuck a tennis racket in the 'hand' of a $40,000 industrial robot and then tweaked the Wii-mote to control the robot's arm so it can hit back tennis balls on the factory floor. 'This is what we do to relax,' he says."

7 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Oh yes... by morari · · Score: 1, Funny

    Because DJs just scream "big time". Excuse me while I go roll my eyes...

    --
    "He who can destroy a thing, controls a thing." --Paul Atreides, Dune
    1. Re:Oh yes... by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 3, Funny

      But what do I know, I just used common sense.

      Hey now, this is Slashdot. We can't have people like you ruining it for the rest of us...

      --
      This guy's the limit!
  2. Re:See .... by faloi · · Score: 5, Funny

    Nah, this is what happens when the only piece of Wii hardware you can find is the controller.

    --
    "It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." -Albert Einstein
  3. Re:Power Glove? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Great idea. One neat implementation of this would be to show your middle finger to an opponent that's pissing you off. On a more serious note, I guess it could also be used in the next gen Guitar Hero games, called Piano Hero.

  4. Re:Power Glove? by Arceliar · · Score: 2, Funny

    I'd buy it if I could grasp a ball and throw it to another player in a networked game of... something where you throw balls at other players.
    ...I really need to get my mind out of the gutter.
  5. Exactly... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...the wii doesn't even exist - it's somewhat like Switzerland in that sense...
    And it gets even scarier, because what do you get when you remove the S and tzerland from Switzerland ? That's right: WI! It's all a plot, I tell you. Next thing you'll hear is that the Swizz actually want to invent a black hole so they don't exist for real - ermmm....

  6. Yeah, right by plover · · Score: 2, Funny
    I loved this line from TFA, regarding Chris Hughes controlling his Roomba with a Wiimote: "She's hoping the invention means the house will now stay cleaner."

    Be sure to let us know how that works out.

    --
    John