This project started out as an idea to build a remote controllable robot, that can connect to a PC, and that can charge itself by seeking out sources of light and generating electricity from solar power. Since I live in a third world country (with a dismal exchange rate at the moment), and have limited funds and access to components, I am taking extensive measures in finding the cheapest and simplest components available, so this will probably be one of the most cost effective DIY electronics robotics projects you will find online.
The Wiimote, which I also wrote about here: 2007-12-15/wiimote-ultimate-hackers-toy, provides the perfect (and cheapest) platform for bluetooth connectivity with a PC, as well as useful sensors such as an infrared camera and tilt sensors. Check out the project page for updates: Wiimote Warrior – Wiimote Robotics Project.
I certainly believe it would not be sensationalist to say that the Wiimote is a revolution in household remote control technology. It is small, lightweight, minimalistic and absolutely packed with really cool features like a 3-axis accelerometer, infrared optical sensors and bluetooth. Better yet, it can interface with a PC – The hacking potential is limitless.
When I first read about the Wiimote and all the hacks people already made for it, I knew I had to obtain one for myself. However, if you’re buying one in South Africa you could pay up to R500 for this puppy. There was no way I was dishing that out for a remote, so I turned to eBay, where you can pick one up for between R175-R210. I ordered one from thumbmonkey.com, international shipping only $10 (Only twice what kalahari charges for local deliveries.) and it arrived after three weeks, only one week late (Thanks ZA post office!).
Here’s a couple of its features:
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- 3-axis accelerometer to determine orientation (A Wiimote can replace those R4000+ 3-axis sensors they use at industrial engineering for measuring orientation)
- PixArt optical infrared sensor to determine position. (Use Wiimote as an accurate pointing device)
- Force feedback/vibration control. (Ladies?)
- Built-in speaker. (Voice commands/confirmations, finding a lost remote.) Controlling this feature is still not fully understood. Much potential for discovery and contribution.
- A programmable EEPROM chip for configuration data.
- And perhaps most excitingly, wiimote extensions like the Nunchuck uses a standard I2C interface, so you can create your own Wiimote peripherals. Better yet, you can use the Wiimote as a cheap and simple bluetooth adapter for your own electronic development boards.
So, the second I popped some batteries in, I connected it to my laptop and started coding. I grabbed Brian Peek’s C# Wiimote library off the net. Within about an hour, I wrote a little application that sits in the system tray and binds Wiimote actions to keyboard keypresses. It lets you control VLC by waving the remote around. Waving it left/right skips the video forward/back. The further you rotate, the faster it skips. Waving it up/down controls the volume, and otherwise it just does basic operations like play/pause/fullscreen/task-switch/mute.
I will probably release it as a full-scale Wiimote app at a later stage once I’ve cleaned everything up, but for now I will just lie back, put on a good movie, and enjoy the ultimate in lazy-man’s bliss.
