WiiBot

Drez

Did a search and didn't see this mentioned.

WiiBot: How to build a sword-wielding, tennis-playing, WiiMote-controlled, friendly robot.

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.

http://www.usmechatronics.com/usmgarage/WiiBot.html

Hotlinking to the image didn't work and I'm too lazy to try saving it properly (that didn't work either) to host myself, but there's picture and video on the site.

I found it interesting.

Flesh Into Gear

We're fucked

Kewop Decam

Flesh Into Gear wrote:

Wii're fucked

FarseerBaradas

OH GOD

WHAT IF THEY ORGANIZE?

Also, we're fucked.

ZackSchilling

When they gave it a sword, that was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life.

Seriously.

[spoiler:28f184691b]We are fucked.[/spoiler:28f184691b]

TheySlashThem

Has anyone mentioned that we're fucked yet?

Because we are.

ddahcmai

Want.
Now.

Cameron_Talley

Everyone was so wrong. It wasn't "Nintendo is DOOMED"

It's "Nintendo is OUR DOOM!!!"

143999

Okay, so ten of these in a circle, each one holding the one before's Wiimote.

Gosling

Have you ever wondered how one could cheat at Wii games? Because you just got your answer.

We're fucked.

Filipino Box Spring Hog

What's next, Gundam Wiing?

Dr_Keenbean

Kewop Decam wrote:

Flesh Into Gear wrote:

Wii're fucked

Word. Also, a bot is posting from my Wii.

Cilla Black

Dr_Keenbean wrote:

Kewop Decam wrote:

Flesh Into Gear wrote:

Wii're fucked

Word. Also, a bot is posting from my Wii.

Maybe that bot.....is you


Oh god they've already infiltrated our internet persona

No Great Name

Judgement day.

Bearcat

I, for one, welcome our new WiiBot overlords.

TroubledTom

That thing is good with a sword. How cool would it be if Nintendo released a ROB mark II?

Icewing

TroubledTom wrote:

That thing is good with a sword. How cool would it be if Nintendo released a ROB mark II?

You do realize, of course, that it would go on a killing spree?

LavaKnight

143999 wrote:

Okay, so ten of these in a circle, each one holding the one before's Wiimote.

Don't you even think about doing it.

Woodroez

Everyone wrote:

We're fucked.

Do you question Friend WiiBot?

That_Guy

This is fucking awesome. Now, of they could only get it to track in real time, the user's movements.

DarkSymphony

that's some good publicity right there.

bruin

LavaKnight wrote:

143999 wrote:

Okay, so ten of these in a circle, each one holding the one before's Wiimote.

Don't you even think about doing it.

I CAN SEE FOREVER

TroubledTom

Icewing wrote:

TroubledTom wrote:

That thing is good with a sword. How cool would it be if Nintendo released a ROB mark II?

You do realize, of course, that it would go on a killing spree?

On the bright side, the first time this thing takes some kid's head clean off, people are going to forget all about the wrist straps.


Edit: Wiibot is giving you to the count of three to drop your weapons.

Delzhand

Okay, I'll take 2.

Excuse me, I'm off to amazon.com to buy a bandsaw, a tarp, and some liquid courage.

Because I'm replacing my arms as soon as they get here.

core tactic

See, if you put that on a remote control car with a live camera feed, you'd have one hell of a bank robbing arm.


Or a grope-tron 5000.



Damn you Nintendo.

Slagmire

I shall graft a pair of these to my sides just underneath my armpits and become the first Shokan on Earth...

Nswyers

Something wonderful has happened... Number Five is alive!

Drez

If they could decrease the time differential between the Wiimote motion and the robot's motion, we could have some seriously awesome robot battle tournaments. Our first step to destroying all cities on Earth in preparation for a Neon Genesis Evangelion-esque future.

BahamutZERO

Nintendo is doomed!

Drallo

That_Guy wrote:

This is fucking awesome. Now, of they could only get it to track in real time, the user's movements.

Yeah, its kinda lame that they just have pre programmed sequences, rather than direct control from the user.

I don't imagine the latter would be impossible or anything, its probably just alot harder to program.

Gorilla Salad

The stages of accepting your overlords
Step 1: Not accepting, and fighting
Step 2: Shock that they wiped out half the population
Step 3: Acceptance of them as your overlords
Step 4: Rebellion
STep 5: Fucking the robots over like they fucked you over.
Step 6: Repeat all steps

mspencer

Drallo wrote:

That_Guy wrote:

This is fucking awesome. Now, of they could only get it to track in real time, the user's movements.

Yeah, its kinda lame that they just have pre programmed sequences, rather than direct control from the user.

I don't imagine the latter would be impossible or anything, its probably just alot harder to program.

I'm not sure if this is possible with any accuracy. The Wii remote has a 3-axis linear accelerometer. Using all three axes it's possible to infer the remote's orientation -- by seeing which linear direction gravity seems to accelerate the remote in -- but doing that AND detecting acceleration in 3-space can't be done reliably. One would need a six-axis accelerometer -- one that measured all three dimensions of linear acceleration AND all three angular rotation axes. That, plus some kind of fixed position reference, would let you do what you propose.

Drallo

mspencer wrote:

Drallo wrote:

That_Guy wrote:

This is fucking awesome. Now, of they could only get it to track in real time, the user's movements.

Yeah, its kinda lame that they just have pre programmed sequences, rather than direct control from the user.

I don't imagine the latter would be impossible or anything, its probably just alot harder to program.

I'm not sure if this is possible with any accuracy. The Wii remote has a 3-axis linear accelerometer. Using all three axes it's possible to infer the remote's orientation -- by seeing which linear direction gravity seems to accelerate the remote in -- but doing that AND detecting acceleration in 3-space can't be done reliably. One would need a six-axis accelerometer -- one that measured all three dimensions of linear acceleration AND all three angular rotation axes. That, plus some kind of fixed position reference, would let you do what you propose.

The wiimote has a rotational sensor on at least one axis. (I haven't seen one utilized with the other 2, I have no idea if they are present)

Given that it also has the IR sensor on the front, you could set up a reference point that would have a zeroing effect on the motion detection.

Couscous

core tactic wrote:

Or a grope-tron 5000.



Damn you Nintendo.

That will make the Wii much more popular in Japan.