The Wii Controller Interface Suite
Since its launch in 2006, the Nintendo Wii Console has continued to draw attention from the Assistive Technology (AT) development community , due to the unique styles of game-play and interaction facilitated by its accompanying controllers, the Wii Remote (Wiimote) and the WiiFit Balance Board.
The Technology of the Nintendo Wii Controller
In contrast with typical controllers, the Wiimote expands upon the traditional paradigms for user-game interaction (button press and joystick movement) by employing accelerometer and optical sensor technologies to provide motion sensing capability. As a result, fresh possibilities for interaction and human interface are enabled through use of physical movement and gesture.
The volume of physical data made available by the device allows for feature expansion through use of software solutions to interpret and affect system input. Facility to purpose train an individual device in turn, affords the suggestion of truly adaptable design solutions to be conceptualized and created.
The Wii Controller Interface Suite
The Wii Controller Interface Suite (Wiici) is an ever evolving collection of tools developed to facilitate the connection and interface of Nintendo Wii style peripherals (official and devised variants) with the Windows family of operating systems. Currently the main suite consists of five primary applications and four dynamic link libraries.
Video 1: The WiiCi Suite
Wiici and its associated Hardware, are a primary result of extensive investigative study to evaluate each aspect of the technologies of the Nintendo Wii Controller and its potential capability as a base platform for the development of Assistive Human Interface Devices (AHID’s).
In turn, these studies themselves were a direct result from an initial technology review and a revised concept creation document derived via practical application of the Flexible Object Orientated Design model (FLOOD).
For more information please visit: http://wiici.dyadica.co.uk