Use a Wiimote to make any screen a touch screen

[Mr Greezy]

There are many tutorials on how to do this. Essentially, you are using the IR camera of the Wiimote to receive IR light emitted by a transmitter that you've attached to the index finger of a glove, and it's illuminated when you activate it.

I made one, and if I can do it, anyone can. Here's an example of it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyRf-62rPew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO8l4bPTiHs

There's really only two steps:

1) Make the glove. All things you'd find at Radio Shack. An emitter, some wires, a little battery pack, and a glove (ok, maybe that one isn't at Radio Shack). I'd suggest buying a switch. I have just exposed wires on the thumb and middle finger that make contact when I press them together but sometimes they don't touch right. A little button switch on the inside of my middle finger knuckle that my thumb could press would be awesome. I'd also suggest cutting off all the fingers of the glove except the index, and on that one I'd suggest cutting off the very tip.

2) You download Whiteboard, or a version of Whiteboard (I think I got Smoothboard but I had to pay for it), then you calibrate it all and you're good to go. It simply emulates the mouse. You don't need to button-map or anything. Your PC needs to be able to recognize bluetooth however, as the Wiimote is bluetooth.


Ok, so it's not technically a touchscreen. But what I like about this is that you're actually interacting with the cockpit elements that the devs have painstakingly made. You're not touching an external board, or something that resembles the in-game model, you're pretty much interacting directly with the in-game cockpit. I will say it's a little tricky if you've got a TrackIR as that uses IR as well and they get confused. It's just a matter of framing the TrackIR out of the Wiimote's field of view -- you basically have the Wiimote setup behind you, over your shoulder, looking at your screen.

I figure many of you know about this, but if you didn't...here it is. Enjoy! Let me know if you end up making it more awesome somehow.

[DD_crash]

WOW! this has a great future What wii controller is it and how did you set it up? (I know nothing about nintendos )

[335th_GRAthos]

A m a z i n g !!!


~s~

[TomcatViP]

Awesome !

Does it need really need the Wii or will it work with a standard webcam ?

[rfxcasey]

I've seen this several years ago. The same principle as an IR Whiteboard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s5EvhHy7eQ

[Pato Salvaje]

Well... let see what happens with the release of Kinect for windows... well when prices goes down...

[Untamo]

@OP:
Have you tested this with CloD?

I just did, and the results were not so good. In Windows and in the CloD game menus it works like advertised, but in-flight, not so much. The cursor seems to move irrationally all over the place when I try to click on the screen. Maybe the game engine uses some other method of movement for the mouse or something.

Anyone got this working in CloD? This would be a great feature if it works right.

[swiss]

You guys wear gloves for flying? lol

[Untamo]

Originally Posted by swiss

You guys wear gloves for flying? lol

Indeed, and silly IR-led hats also