Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Nintendo says it refuses to 'succumb to patent trolls' as it wins Maryland case]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/02/nintendo-says-it-refuses-to-succumb-to-patent-trolls-as-it-win/http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/02/nintendo-says-it-refuses-to-succumb-to-patent-trolls-as-it-win/http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/02/nintendo-says-it-refuses-to-succumb-to-patent-trolls-as-it-win/#comments
Nintendo issued a fairly terse press release earlier today, announcing that it has prevailed in a US patent lawsuit for the "third consecutive time this year." That particular case concerned Nintendo's Wii Balance Board accessory and Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus software, which a company called IA Labs said infringed on one of its patents (No. 7,121,982); a claim that was dismissed by the Maryland District Court judge in the case. IA Labs was also more or less dismissed as a company by Nintendo's senior vice president of legal and general counsel Rick Flamm, who said that "we vigorously defend patent lawsuits when we firmly believe that we have not infringed another party's patent," and that "we refuse to succumb to patent trolls." The company's full statement can be found after the break.

Continue reading Nintendo says it refuses to 'succumb to patent trolls' as it wins Maryland case

Nintendo says it refuses to 'succumb to patent trolls' as it wins Maryland case originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balance boardBalanceBoardia labsIaLabslawsuitlegalmarylandnintendopatentpatent infringementpatent trollPatentInfringementpatentsPatentTrollwiiwii fitwii fit plusWiiFitWiiFitPlusFri, 02 Mar 2012 21:47:00 EST<![CDATA[Students use Wii Balance Board for kids' physical therapy system (video)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/17/students-use-wii-balance-board-for-kids-physical-therapy-system/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/17/students-use-wii-balance-board-for-kids-physical-therapy-system/http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/17/students-use-wii-balance-board-for-kids-physical-therapy-system/#comments Nintendo's kid-tested, researcher-approved Wii Balance Board has struck at the heart of the medical supply industry yet again -- this time, the Bluetooth-connected scale is being used to help physically challenged children at Shriners Hospital in Houston. Seniors at Rice University hand-machined a set of force-sensitive parallel bars and programmed a monster-shooting game called Equilibrium to get kids excited about improving their walking gait, where they can play and score points with each proper step they take. The game automatically ratchets up the difficulty as patients improve, and handrails will play a part too, with a custom three-axis sensor box able to detect how much patients rely on the parallel bars (and dock points accordingly) in an effort to improve their posture. Yep, that sounds just a wee bit more useful than the Balance Board lie detector or the Wii Fit Roomba. Video after the break.

Continue reading Students use Wii Balance Board for kids' physical therapy system (video)

Students use Wii Balance Board for kids' physical therapy system (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 06:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balancebalance boardBalanceBoardfitnessforce platesForcePlateshealthmedicalNintendoNintendo WiiNintendoWiiphysical therapyPhysicalTherapyRiceRice UniversityRiceUniversityshriners hospitalshriners hospital for childrenShrinersHospitalShrinersHospitalForChildrentherapyvideoWiiwii balance boardWii FitWiiBalanceBoardWiiFitSun, 17 Apr 2011 06:06:00 EST<![CDATA[Two universities adopt Wii Fit to monitor football concussions]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/23/two-universities-adopt-wii-fit-to-monitor-football-concussions/http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/23/two-universities-adopt-wii-fit-to-monitor-football-concussions/http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/23/two-universities-adopt-wii-fit-to-monitor-football-concussions/#comments As it turns out, there are quite a few uses for a $100 off-the-shelf computerized scale, above and beyond getting fit -- Nintendo's Wii Balance Board is now providing a mechanism by which college football teams at Ohio State University and the University of Maryland can cheaply determine whether players are suffering from concussions. Taking the place of force plate machines that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, the white plastic boards measure students' balance (using yoga poses) and coordination (in Table Tilt) before a game, to provide a frame of reference against which trainers can measure whether athletes are fit to keep playing. Though some scholars found Wii Fit didn't stack up favorably against the expensive force plates, the universities trialing the system called it "pretty decent," so the question is whether Nintendo's peripheral offers a reasonable enough benchmark for the price. We suppose the American Heart Association liked it well enough.

Two universities adopt Wii Fit to monitor football concussions originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 03:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>athleticsbalance boardBalanceBoardconcussionconcussionshealthinjuryNintendoNintendo WiiNintendoWiiOhio State UniversityOhioStateUniversitysportsUniversity of MarylandUniversityOfMarylandWiiwii balance boardWii FitWiiBalanceBoardWiiFitMon, 23 Aug 2010 03:39:00 EST<![CDATA[Wii Balance Board: decent for measuring equilibrium, medical study says]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/19/wii-balance-board-decent-for-measuring-equilibrium-medical-stu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/19/wii-balance-board-decent-for-measuring-equilibrium-medical-stu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/19/wii-balance-board-decent-for-measuring-equilibrium-medical-stu/#comments
This one's pretty cute (or evidence of a completely uncreative healthcare industry). Researchers at the University of Melbourne and Singapore General Hospital's Department of Physiotherapy have run a battery of tests on the Wii's Balance Board, and found it to be somewhat useful in testing patient's balance and equilibrium, medically speaking. Current medical equipment used to test these skills is very expensive, heavy, and in short supply. The Balance Board, on the other hand, runs about $99. The Wii accessory was tested on 30 patients, and found to be about as good as the expensive force platforms usually used by doctors... which is great news for Nintendo -- this product has seemingly endless real-life applications -- but rather embarrassing for the makers of medical equipment, no? Hit the source link for a fuller look at the story.

Wii Balance Board: decent for measuring equilibrium, medical study says originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>balance boardBalanceBoardgamingmedicalmedicinenintendoresearchsingapore general hospitalSingaporeGeneralHospitalstudiesuniversity of melbourneUniversityOfMelbournewiiTue, 19 Jan 2010 19:41:00 EST<![CDATA[Wii balance board could be used in fruitless airport security effort]]>http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/10/wii-balance-board-could-be-used-in-fruitless-airport-security-ef/#commentsYou know that sweeping feeling of guilt that comes over you every time you're pulled over as part of a "standard traffic stop?" Yeah, those natural emotions are about to make you look incredibly suspicious on the way to your next flight -- or it will if the FAST project is ever turned into reality. The Homeland Security-funded Future Attribute Screening Technology effort, which has already ate away at $20 million in taxpayer dollars, essentially hopes to let flyers keep all of their clothes on while forcing them to stand on a Wii balance board (or similar) and have an array of sensors watch their every reaction to a battery of questions. The problem? Every innocent person on the planet's going to start sweating and shaking just being in that kind of scenario, and only the trained terrorists of the world are apt to be able to put truth aside and fake the machine into thinking everything is cool. Oh sure, we're being a little dramatic here, but seriously -- maybe the TSA should just require a complete life history as a prerequisite to boarding.

[Via Popular Science]

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Wii balance board could be used in fruitless airport security effort originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There's just something so defiant about this "Power Up" charging stand from Mad Catz -- it seems specifically designed to take up as much cubic footage as possible, and even the name is domineering. The stand is bizarrely formed in the likeness of a miniature Wii Balance Board, with a replacement battery pack included in the kit with contact charging points to take out all the exertion of flipping the B-Board and swapping out batteries. A foot pedal release mechanism pops the Balance Board out of the stand, and there are a couple of free-spirited USB ports on the thing for charging up whatever other awkwardly-shaped gadgetry you might have around the house.

[Via Unplggd]

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Wii Balance Board Power Up Charging Stand from Mad Catz just dares you to revert to AAs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh c'mon, just admit it -- you rationalized that Wii Fit purchase like so: "Oh, I can't afford this, but it's totally something to make me exercise! So, I'll buy it!" Fast forward two months later, and you're struggling to find space to hide the case. All kidding aside (sort of...), you can't deny the facts, and the facts are that the Big N managed to ship 15 million Wii Fits units in just 13 months. For comparison, it took right around 2.5 years to move 50 million Wii units, so it seems this here title is well on its way to hitting the same milestone in around the same amount of time. Unfortunately, you can't lose weight by simply handing over wads of cash to Satoru Iwata -- feel free to try, though.

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Nintendo moves 15 million Wii Fit units in a year, 4 remain in use originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Fit not cutting the fat fast enough? Don't sweat it, the house of Mario is getting ready to make your weight loss competitive. According to Japan's Nikkei business daily, Nintendo will be launching its Wii Fit plus in autumn that will let users compete with friends and family over the Internet to "lose weight and other activities" -- the latter presumably hinting at cruel taunting Miis with the ability to point and laugh at the fatties. The new balance board is said to feature more precise measurements to better hone your sense of embarrassment and shame. E3 kicks off next week where we'll undoubtedly hear more if the rumor is true.

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Nikkei: Nintendo's Wii Fit plus coming to make weight loss competitive, Internet fun originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 May 2009 04:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How much would you spend to pull a faux ollie? How about $120? That'll be the damage due according to GameStop where Tony Hawk's Ride game with skateboard peripheral lists for $119.99 with a simultaneous Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3 launch on October 13th. Until then, grab some some griptape and mom's salad bowl and get to practicing.

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Tony Hawk's Ride coming to GameStop October 13th for $120 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 May 2009 04:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We'd heard rumblings that Tony Hawk was working on something with motion controls -- which seems only natural after EA's Skate hit the scene with its intuitive Flickit control scheme, and Shaun White's game put the Wii's Balance Board to good use, both making the Tony Hawk method of arcade-style button mashing feel a little dated. Well, Tony's new Ride is looking to change all that, with a skateboard peripheral that looks like... a skateboard. It's hard to tell from just looking at it how precisely interactive the controller will be -- it seems basic balancing and leaning would be in, while Christ Air-ing your little sister in the face wouldn't go over so well. According to the man himself, Hawk is quite good at the game, and skateboarders should find the transition easy. A promo video is after the break, and apparently on June 2nd we'll be seeing this thing in action.

Update: We added another video after the break, including video of the actual board in action. Turns out the motion controls are quite detailed, and in advanced modes even allow for in-place 180s, but nothing seems to involve lifting the board actually off the ground. Grabs can be performed by actually grabbing the edge of the board, with infrared sensors picking up your hand position, and pushing is performed by running your foot along the side of the board. Ollies and flip tricks are obviously going to be a bit different than the real deal, while manuals and steering are pretty much spot on, and apparently there's a lot of choice as to how much "realism" you'd like in controlling the thing. Tony Hawk also sees the controller as a "standard," which could work with snowboarding games, surfing games, exercise games and other assorted cash cows for Activision.

Gallery: Tony Hawk's 'Ride' motion-sensing skateboard in action


[Via Joystiq]

Continue reading Tony Hawk's new 'Ride' game includes motion-sensing skateboard controller for shredding your mom's new carpet

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Tony Hawk's new 'Ride' game includes motion-sensing skateboard controller for shredding your mom's new carpet originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 May 2009 09:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why should authentic, honest-to-goodness Wii owners be the only ones to indulge in some mindless escapism -- or a spirited virtual workout, for that matter? To this end, the heads at Chinavasion have dreamt up a two-tone, quasi-legal Balance Board KIRF for you and your game console. Sure, this is by no means the first such beast we've seen, and there's no telling whether or not this bad boy is compatible with your WÜ, MiWi2, or Chintendo Vii, but it does sport handsome light blue accents. Take one home for $67.91, or save a few shekles and buy 'em in lots of three or more. Intrigued? Take a closer look for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Keepin' it real fake, part CCVI: yet another Balance Board edition

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Keepin' it real fake, part CCVI: yet another Balance Board edition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 11 May 2009 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It was inevitable we guess what with everyone plus your grandma using the Wii. Now Nintendo Japan has announced a new Wii "Check-Up" channel that acts as a health guidance system between you and health professionals. Scheduled for an April launch, the system developed in partnership with Hitachi, NEC, Panasonic and a health insurance company is said to provide 2-way communication between users and health leaders who'll provide "healthy guidance" to otherwise Cheeto-stained gamer-types. The service appears to be compatible with both Wii Fit and its Balance Board as well as NEC's mobile phone health platform for checking progress or accessing advice remotely. It also appears to be usable anonymously. We'll update you just as soon as we get all these Japanese press releases translated.

[Via Akihabara News and NeoGAF]

Read -- NEC
Read -- Nintendo

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Wii Check-up Channel will link you to health professionals, Dr. Mario originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Wii Fit's slab of a peripheral is called a Balance Board for good reason: it's fine if a little yoga and pilates action is all you need to keep in shape, but, sturdy as it is, jumping up and down is liable to form cracks before toned thighs. If you need some high impact aerobics to be rid of that spare tire you'll have to go custom, like the SwiitBoard from a cardio-loving Wii aficionado called frits. It's just a durable wooden plank propped up by foam blocks on either end and a Wiimote zip tied to the front. The magic happens in the software, converting the up/down impacts of jogging in place into forward motion, with left or right roll turning the avatar in the simple game he worked out (video below). It's perhaps a bit crude, but would you rather have a board that looks good or a bod that looks good? Yeah, we'd pick gadget aesthetics too. If you want your own, frits will sell you the software for €10 -- money that will fund another of his projects: a site that fights global warming via pictures of scantily clad, eco-minded ladies.

[Via Hack A Day]

Continue reading SwiitBoard: the sweeter way to get fit on the Wii

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SwiitBoard: the sweeter way to get fit on the Wii originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So you've got a spare Microsoft Surface and Wii Balance Board laying around, whaddya do? Well, you could try stacking them on top of each other and hope that big-ass table doesn't crush your little plastic Nintendo toy, and with some code slapped on what you'd end up with is pressure-sensitive surface computing. This clever little concept was cooked up by Josh Santangelo from "Stimulant." In his demo, featured after the break, he rocks Surface from side to side while colored spots roll back and forth, using a physics engine he developed for MS Silverlight. It's a great start and we would love to see this resourceful hack put to good use -- beyond that of a totally awesome yet ridiculously expensive tilt-a-maze game, minus the maze.

Continue reading Microsoft Surface made pressure-sensitive with Wii Balance Board

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Microsoft Surface made pressure-sensitive with Wii Balance Board originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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For Roomba hacking extraordinaire longjie0723, it's just another day in the office. Grasping for one more way to control the circular vacuum with something video game-related, he keyed in on the Wii Balance Board. Granted, he's already had success controlling the Roomba with a Wiimote, so we assume that whipping this one up was a lesson in simplicity. We still can't really understand why this here hack is necessary, but unlike decisions made by publicly traded companies, independent DIYers don't need no logic to get their mod on. Video after the cut.

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

Continue reading Wii Balance Board used to control Roomba... for reasons unknown

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Wii Balance Board used to control Roomba... for reasons unknown originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It looks like Nintendo will finally be getting some challengers to its balance board monopoly... or one at least. Cheapo Wii accessory-maker Njoy is set to introduce its own version of the Wii Fit's footboard come September 12th for the weirdly more-expensive price of £64.99 (or about $130). Of course, Njoy's model does have a built-in LCD display (presumably for checking your weight even when the console is off), though it won't come bundled with any software, virtual trainers, or the assurances of a thorough Mario and Luigi inspection process.

[Via Balance Board Blog]

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The Wii Fit balance board is cloned, magically sprouts an LCD display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may never garner quite the same broad appeal among DIYers as the incredibly versatile Wiimote, but it looks like the Wii Balance Board is nonetheless spurring on some hackery of its own, including being used as a navigation device for Google Earth and World of Warcraft. While those hacks are certainly impressive enough, the board has only just recently fully earned its DIY cred by being used to control a robot, which you can see in action after the break. What's more, the man responsible for that hack, Juan González, isn't about to rest on his laurels, with him now promising to create a Segway-like device that's controlled simply using the Wii Balance Board. Needless to say, we'll be keeping an eye out for any progress on that one.

Read - Balance Board Blog, "Wii Balance Board used to control robot"
Read - Balance Board Blog, "Man developing Wii Balance Board Segway - Robosurfing"

Continue reading Man uses Wii Balance Board to control robot, takes aim at Segway next

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Man uses Wii Balance Board to control robot, takes aim at Segway next originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If for some reason you've been so far outside of the natural world that you were unaware of Nintendo's impending Wii Fit firestorm, this should get you back in the swing of things. Today the big N has made the forthcoming release of the exercise / gaming sensation officially official in the States. The device is available exclusively at the Nintendo World store in New York City starting today, but will hit other shelves on May 21st, will run you a thrifty $89.99, and launches with software containing more than 40 activities. Of course, you'll never get to experience any of those activities, as there's already a run on stock, and if you haven't pre-ordered then you're pretty much left to the whim of eBay sellers and their inflated prices. Thanks Nintendo!

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Nintendo's Wii Fit gets official, set to launch in just two days originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 May 2008 08:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wii Fit, out in December. Great news huh? Thing is, the ¥8,800 (about $75) Wii Fit is only announced for Japan so far. The kit features the Wii Balance Board which enables gamers to interactively head soccer balls and ski jump while partaking in other activities like yoga and aerobics typically thought to be cigarette-free. But you're at home moms, so feel free to sneak a few while pulling into a Downward-Facing Dog, we won't tell.

[Via Joystiq]

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Nintendo's Wii Fit December 1st for $75 (in Japan) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2007 06:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We got to get on a little, um, feet-on time with Nintendo's new Wii Balance Board. Besides the humbling experience of feeling like an uncoordinated, chubby remnant of your former self, we were surprised with the accuracy by which the device was able to detect even subtle muscle movements that affect balance and position. It definitely felt heavy and sturdy for a pre-production device. Oh, and the weight / balance sensors aren't just left / right, either, some games require you to stand in the middle on one foot. Check out the gallery, it's time to get physical like ONJ. (If you're still left wanting more, hit up Joystiq.)

Gallery: Wii Balance Board hands-on, er, feet-on

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Wii Balance Board hands-on, er, feet-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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