Wii remote adapted to military robot

March 27, 2008

Two U.S. Department of Energy scientists in Idaho say they have adapted technology from Nintendo's Wii remote to control a mine-clearing robot.

David Bruemmer and Douglas Few said they adapted the video game controller, which utilizes wireless technology that detects three dimensional movement, to control Packbot, a robot with bomb disposal capability, Sky News reported Thursday.

The scientists said operating the Wii remote is more instinctive than traditional controllers, which can take too much of the user's attention and prevent the operator from concentrating fully on data gathered by the machine.

The pair told New Scientist that they are also working on adapting the Apple iPhone to replace the laptop computers soldiers use to collect data from the robots.

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