Minority Report Interface via Wiimote

This week we will be working on an introduction to using and tracking the movement of the Wiimote. We will measure and analyze the accelerometer readings from a variety of hand motions. I looked into some other interesting uses for the remote and found this video that demonstrates one potential use.

Essentially, the Wiimote is serving as an infra-red camera (none of the accelerometer features are being used) to detect the reflection of infra-red off of fingers or reflective tape. Using the common Bluetooth protocol, it is easy to have the Wiimote communicate with a variety of devices, like the PC in the demo. Johnny easily moves, twists, and zooms a simple image around the screen using intuitive hand motions. He does mention that continually moving hands around in the air, while fun, does wear the user out.

Due to the physical demands this type of interface requires, I thought of two good uses. The first would be in a demonstration environment. Sales people at trade shows could interactively move computer models of their products rather than show a pre-rendered animation. If a customer wanted to see a specific angle, the sales person would spin the product to that angle and adjust the zoom. The second practical use would be physical therapy. Patients would be instructed to move their arms around to "touch" objects on the screen. The level of therapy would be easy to adjust based on each patient's needs. Doctors could design sequences that would target specific joint movements by placing objects in patterns that would intuitively lead to a wrist twist, elbow bend or shoulder stretch.