Wii Fit and Arduino bring wooden Labyrinth game to robotic life

Ah, yes. Nothing like some robotics to shake all that pesky quaintness out of a well-loved, time-tested game. In this case, some folks from the Cowtown Computer Congress used a couple of servos and the ever so useful Arduino to connect a wooden Labyrinth game to a Wii Fit, which appears to up the difficulty of the game while still requiring as little exertion as possible. At just $60 total (not including the Wii Fit), the project is also relatively inexpensive, and it seems that it's a fairly simple process to swap out the Wii Fit for the controller of your choice. Head on past the break for a video of the setup in action, and hit up the link below for the necessary details.

[Thanks, Steve]

[Ben M @ Jan 12th 2009 8:04PM]

That's kind of awesome.

[Freakin Ijit @ Jan 12th 2009 8:09PM]

This is simply coolness incarnate.

Next!

[stagueve @ Jan 12th 2009 8:13PM]

Thanks Guys but your linkback (steve) is wrong (http://http://www...) ;p

[Paul Chapel @ Jan 12th 2009 8:15PM]

This is so cool it should be illegal. The world can't handle so much awesomeness.

[Agent .25i @ Jan 12th 2009 8:27PM]

It's neat-o for sure, but if your going to build something like that; wouldn't the hand held motion controllers have been a way better idea?

[Freakin Ijit @ Jan 12th 2009 8:44PM]

No, what would have been a better idea would be to create a digital map of the game (*), then place the servo controlled game ON the Wii Fit balance board and make the Wii solve the game using its balance inputs!

(*) Digital map so the Wii would know where the ball was w.r.t holes, etc...

[Ian @ Jan 13th 2009 12:58AM]

@Freakin ljit
so you mean kinda like the game they already have on wii fit?

[Freakin Ijit @ Jan 13th 2009 6:56AM]

Actually, the Wi Fit DOES come with a balance drop-the-balls-thru-holes game but that's what was implemented here; a person needs to balance to guide the ball. I was jokingly suggesting taking what was implemented here and make the Wii itself sense the ball location and solve the maze.

[of course, though the Wii Fit is WAY cool and VERY sensitive, it's not sensitive enough to feel the location of a one centimeter ball bearing on a surface]

[Jon_Davie @ Jan 13th 2009 9:14AM]

@Freakin ljit

That was the first thought I had when I saw the picture!!

[Timerider @ Jan 13th 2009 10:36AM]

Ditto

[Witmarquzotix @ Jan 12th 2009 8:36PM]

"or Nerd and dweebs with Servos and a multimeter"...


remeber that the next time you use an eletronic device and think "I wouldn't have this if it weren't for thoose guys"
:D


I don't know about the hand controllers, it would be wierd to play becuase you would be just 1 hand which would be akward, where as who here(guys anyway) doesn't try lean around a corner while playing a racing game?

[Mike @ Jan 12th 2009 9:13PM]

Holy crap, I used to have that same labyrinth when I was younger. Damn thing took me years to beat the first time, though... although mainly because I was too young to have the hand-eye coordination necessary to work both dials at the same time.

[ED @ Jan 12th 2009 9:58PM]

I still have mine up on a shelf somewhere. Sure is tough, particularly that bit when you have to make it roll diagonally between two holes.

[Rainier @ Jan 13th 2009 12:04PM]

Hahaha, I had that same labyrinth too (although I wanted a different version which was a bit more complex; my grade school had it). I used to make the ball jump over the labyrinth walls by twisting the knobs really quick. Good times!

[Steven K @ Jan 13th 2009 10:28PM]

thats kool it must have been hard to finish that thang

[Shane @ Jan 12th 2009 11:53PM]

Is it just me or is that Wii board backwards? Isn't the light supposed to be on the back of the board?

[SomeoneKnows @ Jan 13th 2009 6:51PM]

In response to "Freakin lijit"'s comments about getting the Wii to play the game for you. We are planning a little different direction. We want to attach an accelerometer to the bottom of the board's surface to detect the physical board's movement. Next we want to place a video camera above the game and use motion detection software to track the marble. We just need to learn a few things about computer vision first. That's why we started our OpenCV Study Group http://blog.cowtowncomputercongress.org/?p=120

Here's a link to our original post about the game: http://blog.cowtowncomputercongress.org/?p=153

So check back on our blogs and we'll be updating the progress.
CCCKC - Soon to be broadcasting from our Underground Hackers Lab: http://blog.cowtowncomputercongress.org/?p=70

@SomeoneKnows