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Interactive White Board with a Nintendo Wii

Dec 17, 2007    (Click to Rate!) Loading ... Loading ...

Technology


Johnny Lee is at it again. We blogged about his first invention (using the IR-sensing capabilities of the Bluetooth Nintendo Wii controller), which was a Minority Report-esque multi-touch display that you could manipulate with your fingers.

Now it looks like he’s refined his ideas a bit further. Modifying a typical Bic Pen to include a power source, a button and a LED light on the tip. He then projects a picture onto the wall using a standard projector and placing the Wiimote off to the side of the screen so it can “see” the entire screen and his hands, he runs a 4-pt calibration to define the edges of the screen. From there, the software he wrote to interpret the signals from the Wiimote allows him to interact with his desktop just like a Wacom tablet would.

YouTube Preview Image

I could imagine a refined/high-accuracy version of something like this could drastically change how artists work on a computer or desktop publishing. You could simply use a pen on a wall-sized image of your artwork or hell… even your fingers.

I suppose you loose the pressure-sensitivity though.

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This post was written by:

Riyad Kalla - who has written 1727 posts on The “Break it Down” Blog.

"Ultimately I just want to provide a resource that folks find useful."

11 Comments For This Post

  1. manny Says:

    really impressive, i see this guy in the nintendo staff pretty soon :)

    anyway this technology is not new at all (but the use of the wiimote is what makes it different).

    MPX video (multitouch)
    http://wearables.unisa.edu.au/mpx/?q=node/86

    work great with a program like lowfat (a linux 3d picture browser)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B595KCi_Fgc

    using just a webcam to control a pc:
    http://vision.eng.shu.ac.uk/mediawiki/index.php/Interactive_Camera-Projector_System

    they have a vid demonstrating but it lags since they use a cheap and slow fps webcam compared to the one used in the wiimote video over here.

    is very cool, since it’s like using a wiimote to control your pc without a wiimote :p

    anyway congrats to Johnny Lee for making a great demonstration.

  2. Squarehead Says:

    Awesome! Now I don’t have to buy a Wacom tablet. =P
    How can I get the infrared sensor for a pen though?

  3. Ishkabible Says:

    It’s naive of you to speak of him as though he invented the idea, digital whiteboards, or “Smartboards” have been around for awhile and aren’t a new idea. It is ignorant of you to say

    “I could imagine a refined/high-accuracy version of something like this could drastically change how artists work on a computer or desktop publishing. You could simply use a pen on a wall-sized image of your artwork or hell… even your fingers.”

    When something of that nature already exists. Not to downplay his creation; he’s a genius for being able to do that but you should give him credit for the idea because it is not his. And although he does create a low cost “Touch table top” or “Smartboard” he doesn’t figure in the 2,000 dollar projector you also have to buy, it’s not like any one with a Wii could just pick up some LEDs and a pen and have a large smartboard. Regardless, this is impressive but you’re ignorance and his half-truths should be corrected.

  4. Yiffywiffy Says:

    Man Ishkabible ur a dick

  5. Riyad Kalla Says:

    Yiffy, no worries, Ishkabible is an “Internet Genius”… it’s his job to single-handedly make sure that all the information on the web is correct AND look like a complete douche-bag while doing it.

    +1 for Internet Geniuses!

  6. smarterthanw Says:

    Ha! These comments are almost as good as Johnny Lee’s video!

    I’m a tech coordinator at a school. If I can get this to work in our classrooms, this would save us a ton of cash.

  7. Anonymous Says:

    You could have infrared rings which you put on your fingers. Instead of a button, the finger tip could be a touch-sensitive sensor which, when depressed, emits the infrared. That way you can create a projection wall which you can draw on and manipulate just be touching it with your fingers! One step closer to Minority Report .. :-)

  8. Riyad Kalla Says:

    Anon, interesting idea… have you tried dabbling with any of this stuff with the Wii?

  9. Kyp Says:

    Good idea Anon, however, like he says in the video, the WiiMote can only track 4 points at one time. So perhaps you could implement that on your pointer and thumb on both hands. That might’ve been what you meant, but I thought I’d just throw in my two cents. Or maybe two Wiimotes… i dunno if that would work though.

  10. johnny Says:

    never gonna happen- like the paperless office

  11. cwxwwwxwwxwx Says:

    well, hi admin adn people nice forum indeed. how’s life? hope it’s introduce branch ;)

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