Wiimote used to control robotic arm

If you got all your information about the Wii from its very own Engadget tag, then you'd probably think that it doesn't play games, such are the number of tasks that inventive users have coaxed the Wiimote into carrying out. That combination of an IR sensor and accelerometer has churned out the likes of beat machines and an array of crappy plastic accessories, but now someone has put the Wiimote up to the task that we'd all been willing it: the control of a robotic arm. A student group project in a Mechatronics class at the University of Michigan produced the Wii-bot arm, which apparently "features direct end effector control using the accelerometers, D-Pad, and a 50 LED sensor bar, unlike the other popular Wiimote Robot Arm (the one with the sword) which was controlled using pattern matching". Ya hear that? The Wii-bots are already preparing for war. Peep the embedded video after the break, in all its whirring and buzzing glory.

[Thanks, Dan W]

[Ayle @ Apr 15th 2007 11:38AM]

Pretty neat, but wouldn't it be better if the robotic arm was moving in real time?

[lyl545646 @ Apr 15th 2007 11:41AM]

Screw the robot, nice hair, dude!

[a ham sandwich @ Apr 15th 2007 12:14PM]

yeah pretty cool, but they either need a faster robot, or more efficient code, to get it little more up to real time.

[John Doe @ Apr 15th 2007 12:19PM]

I did something like this using the wiimote and the nunchuck using GlovePie and C++. This is a lot more advanced, though.

[mark @ Apr 15th 2007 12:40PM]

guy managed to program wiimote to control robot arm, but cant grasp that the union jack is the BRITISH flag. Very patriotic.

[Dan W @ Apr 15th 2007 1:13PM]

I can not believe we missed that. Damn.

[Alexander @ Apr 15th 2007 1:01PM]

@Mark

This is robotic-science, not government history!

Just like you aren't required to know how to manipulate vectors in 3d space utilizing a wiimote, he dosne't have to know what the heck flag is what.

*THE PREVIOUS STATEMENT WAS A JOKE*

[Dan W @ Apr 15th 2007 3:09PM]

I take it back.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Union_Jack

[Aprime @ Apr 15th 2007 1:25PM]

That arm is slooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow

[Emceay @ Apr 15th 2007 1:59PM]

I for one, welcome our slow-moving, wii-mote controlled wooden robotic overlords.

[ssuk @ Apr 15th 2007 2:30PM]

alexander: So how many stars are on the american flag? ... 12? See, you don't like it! *runs off and cries in a corner*

[JDgoblue @ Apr 15th 2007 3:24PM]

about the slow motion, we just used cheap hobby servos, and when we tried to change the gearing there wasn't enough torque.

[Adam Borrell @ Apr 15th 2007 3:26PM]

Thanks Dan. I'm amazed that everyone gets upset that I called the starfield the Union Jack (it is the American union jack after all) but no one seems to have caught that I didn't know the letters of the buttons on the Wiimote. (I still have yet to play an actual game with one).

Yes, the motors are slow. Yes, it makes us all sad. The arm originally had stepper motors (they were probably a little faster, but more difficult to control and made for a more complicated kinematic model because of the cable drive). We replaced them with hacked servos, which made our control and interface problems disappear, but are way, way too slow. The class we souped up the arm for is over, but I have a couple of faster gearmotors in the mail...

[DA @ Apr 15th 2007 6:21PM]

What I want to see is someone using a wiimote to control a robotic arm that's using a wiimote. Since the online multiplayer isn't working yet, I want a cooler way to challenge myself to Wii Tennis.

[James Pennington @ Apr 16th 2007 10:02AM]

Do we really need any more stories about "Wiimote used to control X" ?

[hatch @ May 16th 2007 4:32PM]

Wow pretty soon we will have robot to do everything for human!!!!! I really like this controller but this is not what I am looking for. Does anyone know about PIC LED controller? Like something here
http://www.lunaraccents.com/technology-programmable-LED-controller.html
I try to find someone to help me with my fireplace product. I like to have LED lighting that can change to multi colors when I want it too.

[skyhawk @ May 16th 2007 5:36PM]

Light - emitting diodes , I am looking for some idea about this new kind of lighting technology for surface mounth, like this one
http://www.lunaraccents.com/nav-custom-LED-technology.html