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Aiken Labs brings 9-axis modular motion sensing to Android, we go hands-on (video)
We already had a chance to try out Immersive Motion from Aiken Labs at CES, but now the nine-axis modular sensing system is making its way to Android and other mobile platforms, including iOS and Windows Phone. The more compact battery-powered server brings motion-controlled gaming to mobile environments, capturing position data from matchbox-size modular sensors that you can tape to a wooden sword or Viking helmet for live-action outdoor role-playing, or on you paws and dome during a virtual jam session with friends, for example. The mobile kit includes a pair of wireless sensors with a 50-foot range that you can attach to literally any accessory or appendage, and is expected to sell for about $300 when it ships later this year. You'll also be able to connect up to two smaller wired sensors to each wireless sensor, for about $50 a pop. The kit's price tag makes it cost-prohibitive for all but the most hardcore gamers and devs (there's an SDK available as well), but Aiken hopes to make its flagship product more affordable if its able to sell the kits in high volume. The tool has applications in other industries as well, including research and Hollywood, where it could be used as a (relatively) low-cost outdoor motion-capture suit. The early version we saw at E3 today is definitely not ready to head to production, but we're still months away from an actual release, giving Aiken some time to improve accuracy, and perhaps find a way to reduce that price. Jump past the break to see how it works.%Gallery-125868% Tim Stevens contributed to this report.
Aiken Labs shows off modular motion-sensing game kit, we give it a swing (video)
If you're looking to get your motion-controlled gaming fix, there are plenty of ways to go -- cameras, electromagnets and accelerometers, for starts -- but most figure you'll buy a single peripheral, a few plastic accessories, and call it a day. That's not the Aiken way. North Carolina startup Aiken Labs wants to sell you a set of tiny boxes that you can stick on any body part or toy you own, each with a full inertial measurement package (three-axis accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope) inside. The boxes connect to a base station over 802.15.4 wireless that doubles as a USB recharging unit for the lot, and you can connect up to eight modules to track 24 degrees of freedom at a time. It's not an elegant solution, to tell you the truth, particularly given the hacked-together nature of the prototype devices we saw on the CES 2011 floor, but we love the idea of simply affixing a box to a helmet to get instant head-tracking support in our favorite PC titles. Inventor Chris Aiken tells us a starter set will ship for about $300 with two sensors and the base station in the second quarter of this year -- additional sensors should run $100 each -- and you can see what it looks like in a video right after the break. %Gallery-113714%
