Using the Nintendo Wii for head-tracking
It’s incredible to see some of the innovative ways people are using head tracking these days. Of course, it’s hardly surprising when you consider the influx of tools and devices people can easily get on a quick trip to the mall.
Johnny Lee of Carnegie Mellon University posted an interesting video on his YouTube site highlighting a sort of D.I.Y. version of head tracking he created at home with a Nintendo Wii video game system. Using head tracking, Lee creates a desktop virtual reality display with the help of the Wii remote control.
Most computer screens are used to display a flat, 2-D image, which doesn’t change in relation to the viewer’s head movements. Lee likens desktop virtual reality displays to looking through a window or portal. When you move to the side, the angle of what is being viewed changes accordingly, giving the viewer a different, more “real” perspective. Lee has created what is basically a cheap version of turning your monitor into a 3D display.
With a pair of LED glasses he purchased at the hardware store, Lee uses the WiiRemote and the sensor bar in reverse, placing the remote at the base of his monitor, attaching the sensor bar to the glasses, and replacing the LED lights with infrared ones.
Pretty smart… Here, have a look:
Related articles:
- New Video Glasses Do 3D and Head Tracking
- A Novel Trick Using Head Tracking