Hacking the Wiimote and Wii Fit to Help the Disabled

People like Johnny Chung Lee have shown us that the Wiimote can be used as a bluetooth IR camera that tracks the spatial location of up to four IR LEDs. Applying this work to a new application, we have adapted the Wiimote and the Wii Fit into a low cost system to help disabled individuals to interface with a computer. By combining the movement of head mounted LEDs and measurement of weight distribution of the lower body (ie "butt-movement"), users are able to provide input gestures. The system uses the gesture recognition engine originally designed by makers of the iPhone.

Our setup can also be used by normal individuals for a heightened gaming experience. This talk will feature a live demonstration of the interface and uses of the hardware. The only question that remains is "Would you like to play a game?".

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