quoting from New Scientist Technology Blog
QUOTE
I'm itching to try out Nintendo's Wii games console. Its motion-sensing controlling seems like a fantastic way to play computer games.
But there's no reason why it should only be used for computer gaming. Not when you can also use it to control a massive industrial robot arm.
A pair of smart hackers at industrial robot firm USMechatronics decided to do just this, and spent a weekend writing software to let a "WiiMote" operate a KR16 robot arm.
Thankfully, they also posted a video of their "WiiBot" in action to YouTube. The pair attached a tennis racket and used the WiiBot to ping tennis balls around their workshop. It's no Roger Federer, but it's not bad.
I was, however, more impressed to see them attach a large sword and wave this about in a menacing way. "Of course we had to put on a sword," they write on their website. "Also, we wanted it to fight people, but you cant have everything."
I wouldn't want to be hanging around next time they try it out...
But there's no reason why it should only be used for computer gaming. Not when you can also use it to control a massive industrial robot arm.
A pair of smart hackers at industrial robot firm USMechatronics decided to do just this, and spent a weekend writing software to let a "WiiMote" operate a KR16 robot arm.
Thankfully, they also posted a video of their "WiiBot" in action to YouTube. The pair attached a tennis racket and used the WiiBot to ping tennis balls around their workshop. It's no Roger Federer, but it's not bad.
I was, however, more impressed to see them attach a large sword and wave this about in a menacing way. "Of course we had to put on a sword," they write on their website. "Also, we wanted it to fight people, but you cant have everything."
I wouldn't want to be hanging around next time they try it out...
Wii bot vid
