Locked: US Army using Wii Remotes to defuse bombs

kenzomatic

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kenzomatic on 27 March 2008

Everyone knows the Wii is beyond popular, but the number of additional uses people have found for the console and its components are exploding – literally. Bomb disposal boffins have equipped warzone robots with Wii Remotes so they can be controlled more accurately.

According to a report by New Scientist magazine, engineers at the US Department of Energy have already modified a specialist robot to be controlled by a Wii Remote.

Before soldiers storm into a risky situation, the Johhny-5 clone is able to find explosives, unearth landmines and dispose of bombs – all the time under the supervision of a Wii Remote-waving soldier. The scientists chose the Nintendo console’s controller because it’s able to detect motion in multiple directions.

The robot hails from the PackBot clan, of which there are several variants, though most focus on bomb disposal work. There’s already an estimated 500 PackBot’s in service throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.

PackBots are manufactured by US firm iRobot, which hit tech headlines in 2002 when it released a robotic vacuum cleaner, dubbed Roomba.

Nintendo’s yet to announce if it’s developing PackBot the videogame, but anything bringing together real-life robots and the Wii is sure to be a hit.

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/03/27/wii_remote_packbot_robot/

FROM

IF YOU see a soldier in action waving a Nintendo Wii remote-control unit with one hand and holding an Apple iPhone in the other, don't assume they're slacking off. Soldiers may soon be using such devices to interact with their robotic assistants.

The "Wiimote" control system allows game players to direct on-screen action using a wireless wand that detects acceleration in three dimensions. It has already found some unexpected uses, such as manipulating ultrasound images and monitoring movement deficiencies in people with Parkinson's disease (New Scientist, 16 February, p 26). Now David Bruemmer and Douglas Few, both engineers at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Lab in Idaho Falls, have modified a military robot so that it can be controlled by the Wiimote.

Packbot, made by iRobot in Burlington, Massachusetts, disposes of bombs, sniffs out explosives and checks for landmines for US soldiers. It is 70 ...

http://technology.newscientist.com/article/mg19726495.800-wii-and-iphone-to-help-military-control-freaks.html

"Back off, man. I'm a scientist."

Your theories are the worst kind of popular tripe, your methods are sloppy, and your conclusions are highly questionable! You are a poor scientist. Especially if you think the moon landing was faked.