Nintendo Wii Remote Research Articles

Validation of a Vibrotactile Stimulation System Using the Wii Remote for Studies of Tactile Sensitivity

Background: Vibrotactile stimuli are widely used to study the functional characteristics of the haptic sense. Although many vibrotactile stimulators are commercially available, most are expensive. Objective: We developed a low-cost vibrotactile stimulation system using a Nintendo Wii Remote and a personal computer. In the present study, we examined the validity and accuracy of this vibrotactile stimulation system. Method: In the first experiment, we measured the linearity of vibration amplitude and changes in peak vibration frequency generated by the Wii Remote as a function of activation intensity. In the second experiment, the effect of vibrotactile stimuli applied to the dorsal surface of hand on two-point discrimination threshold at the index finger was examined in twelve participants. Results: The peak vibration frequency was about 150 Hz irrespective of vibration intensity, which would effectively activate fast adapting type II (FAII) cutaneous mechanical receptors. The two-point discrimination threshold measured at the third pad of the index finger decreased significantly when a near-threshold vibrotactile stimulus was applied to the dorsal hand, a response termed stochastic resonance (SR). These SR results are consistent with findings in the other sensory systems, such as auditory, visual, and somatosensory systems. Conclusion: This newly developed stimulation system produces controllable vibrotactile stimuli useful for study of the haptic sense.

Building the vocational phase of the computerized motor skills testing system for use in the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Group and Hospitality Group

Technical and vocational education emphasizes the development and training of hand motor skills. However, some problems exist in the current career and aptitude tests in that they do not truly measure the hand motor skills. This study used the Nintendo Wii Remote Controller as the testing device in developing a set of computerized testing tools to measure the hand motor skills. Through literature analyses, expert reviews, and analysis of the experimental data, it has been confirmed that these computerized testing tools are stable and effective; in addition, the test results were not influenced by gender or prior experiences with using sensor devices. Moreover, the computerized test was capable of diagnosing and measuring the hand motor skills of participants in a safe, low-cost, virtual testing environment. In focusing on the learning experiences from vocational school practice classes, this study provides a reference for decision-making regarding further education and career development.

Validity of the MarkWiiR for kinematic analysis during walking and running gaits.

The aim of this study was to validate the MarkWiiR (MW) captured by the Nintendo Wii-Remote (100-Hz) to assess active marker displacement by comparison with 2D video analysis. Ten participants were tested on a treadmill at different walking (1<6 km · h−1) and running (10<13 km · h−1) speeds. During the test, the active marker for MW and a passive marker for video analysis were recorded simultaneously with the two devices. The displacement of the marker on the two axes (x-y) was computed using two different programs, Kinovea 0.8.15 and CoreMeter, for the camera and MW, respectively. Pearson correlation was acceptable (x-axis r≥0.734 and y-axis r≥0.684), and Bland–Altman plots of the walking speeds showed an average error of 0.24±0.52% and 1.5±0.91% for the x- and y-axis, respectively. The difference of running speeds showed average errors of 0.67±0.33% and 1.26±0.33% for the x- and y-axes, respectively. These results demonstrate that the two measures are similar from both the x- and the y-axis perspective. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the MarkWiiR is a valid and reliable tool to assess the kinematics of an active marker during walking and running gaits.

NINTENDO WII REMOTES PROVIDE A RECONFIGURABLE TOOL-CHANGING UNIT WITH AN AUTOMATIC CALIBRATION CAPABILITY

Modular machines within the reconfigurable manufacturing paradigm require auxiliary modules to enhance the system’s capability. A tool-changing unit was developed as one of these auxiliary modules. The unit had to be able to adapt itself efficiently to changes in the configuration of the machine it was servicing. This necessitated the development of a real- time 3D tracking system in order for the unit to sense alterations in the position of the spindle to which it was delivering tools. An economic positioning system was produced using Nintendo Wii remotes. This paper presents the development, implementation, and testing of this positioning system.

Assisting children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder to reduce the hyperactive behavior of arbitrary standing in class with a Nintendo Wii remote controller through an active reminder and preferred reward stimulation.

Recent studies in the field of special education have shown that in combination with software technology, high-tech commercial products can be applied as useful assistive technology devices to help people with disabilities. This study extended this concept to turn a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller into a high-performance limb action detector, in order to evaluate whether two students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) could reduce their hyperactive behavior through an active reminder and stimulation in the form of the participants' preferred rewards. This study focused on one particular hyperactive behavior common to both students: standing up arbitrarily during class. The active reminder was in the form of vibration feedback provided via the built-in function of the Wii Remote Controller, which was controlled and triggered by a control system to remind participants when they were engaging in standing behavior. This study was performed according to a multiple baseline design across participants. The results showed that both participants significantly improved their control over their hyperactive behavior during the intervention phase, and retained this effective performance in the maintenance phase. The practical and developmental implications of the findings are discussed.

Use Mobile Devices to Wirelessly Operate Computers

Mobile computing devices, such as tablets, smartphones, PDAs, and game remote controllers, become very popular in our daily life. This article discusses how to turn these devices, more specifically smartphones and Nintendo Wii remotes (in short as Wiimote), into computer remote controllers. In the smartphone-based system, a smartphone is extended to be the computer’s wireless keyboard and mouse. The smartphone and the computer talk to each other through either wireless Ad Hoc or Wi-Fi access point network. In the Wiimote-based system, a Wiimote is turned into computer’s mouse, where the user moves the mouse cursor by waving the Wiimote in air, and generates mouse events through Wiimote buttons. The Wiimote communicates with the computer through Bluetooth. These systems can be used in conference rooms, classrooms, project seminar rooms, and even people’s living rooms, where a projector screen or a big-screen TV serves as the computer monitor.

Videogame Based Neglect Rehabilitation: A Role for Spatial Remapping and Multisensory Integration?

Post-stroke recovery is negatively affected by the presence of visuo-spatial neglect: patients with this diagnosis are more impaired in terms of independence, get lower scores on disability tests, and require longer rehabilitation period (Stone et al., 1992; Katz et al., 1999; Di Monaco et al., 2011). In light of the functional implications that characterize this pathology, it is not surprising that the development of efficient rehabilitation techniques is an important aim of the present research on neglect (Cappa, 2008). Videogames (VG) may offer an effective alternative to traditional behavioral and cognitive rehabilitation as they can integrate cognitive training with high flexibility in a daily life scenario (Rose et al., 2005; Tsirlin et al., 2009). The introduction of low cost, effective tracking devices like Sony's PlayStation Eye™ and PlayStation Move™, Nintendo's Wii Remote Plus™, and Microsoft's Kinect™ were soon recognized as a major source of inspiration for rehabilitation. However, commercially available VG, developed with the aim of amusement, do not match rehabilitation guidelines (i.e., use of meaningful functional activities, management of cognitive impairments through compensatory strategies and retraining skills (Wilson, 2008) posing the question of their applicability in this domain (Laver et al., 2011a). For this reason, ad hoc VG engines have been developed, based on these tracking devices, that do provide the monitoring and adaptation capabilities required by rehabilitation games (Pirovano et al., 2012). With a careful design of the virtual environments, rehabilitation sessions can become even more engaging for patients and increase their motivation (Thornton et al., 2005; Laver et al., 2011b; Pirovano et al., 2012). Enriched environments (Risedal et al., 2002), intense practice (Nudo et al., 2001), the possibility to tailor a rehabilitation session to patient's needs, to tune the degree of difficulty to patient's competences, and to enhance interaction during rehabilitation through an immediate feedback to the patient (Sveistrup, 2004) are the most promising features of VG approaches. It has also been suggested that a scenario including meaningful objects, rather than abstract geometric targets as stimuli, could be more motivating and encouraging for patients engaged in motor recovery programs leading to positive outcomes (Laver et al., 2011b; Sedda et al., 2013; Mainetti et al., 2013).

WiiPD—Objective Home Assessment of Parkinson's Disease Using the Nintendo Wii Remote

Current clinical methods for the assessment of Parkinson's disease suffer from inconvenience, infrequency and subjectivity. WiiPD is an approach for the objective home based assessment of Parkinson's disease which utilizes the intuitive and sensor rich Nintendo Wii Remote. Combined with an electronic patient diary, a suite of mini-games, a metric analyzer, and a visualization engine, we propose that this system can complement existing clinical practice by providing objective metrics gathered frequently over extended periods of time. In this paper we detail the approach and introduce a series of metrics deemed capable of quantifying the severity of tremor and bradykinesia in those with Parkinson's disease. The system has been tested on a 71 year old participant with Parkinson's disease over a period of 15 days, a 72 year old control user without Parkinson's disease, and a group of 8 young adults. Results indicate a clear correlation between patient self rating scores of tremor severity and metric values obtained, in addition to clear differences in metrics obtained from each user group. These results suggest that this approach is capable of indicating the presence and severity of the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease that affect arm motor control.

Author Response: Nintendo Wii Remote Controllers for Head Posture Measurement--Accuracy, Validity, and Reliability of the Infrared Optical Head Tracker Letters

we reported that the newlydeveloped IOHT showed strong concordance with the CROM,which is considered a gold standard for head posturemeasurement, and has relatively a good test–retest reliability,thereby proving its validity and reliability as a head posture–measuring device.First of all, in their letter Sabour and Ghassemi questionedwhy we did not use the seven well-known statistical tests(sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negativepredictive value, likelihood ratio positive and negative, andodds ratio) for evaluating the validity of the infrared opticalhead tracker (IOHT) compared to cervical range of motion(CROM). In our article,

Enabling people with developmental disabilities to actively perform designated occupational activities according to simple instructions with a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller by controlling environmental stimulation

The latest researches have adopted software technology, turning the Nintendo Wii Remote Controller into a high performance three-dimensional object orientation detector. This study extended Wii Remote Controller functionality to assess whether two people with developmental disabilities would be able to actively perform designated simple occupational activities according to simple instructions by controlling their favorite environmental stimulation using a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller. This study was conducted using ABAB designs. The data showed that both participants significantly increased their target response (performing a designated occupational activity) by activating the control system to produce their preferred environmental stimulation during the intervention phases.

Nintendo Wii Remote Controllers for Head Posture Measurement: Accuracy, Validity, and Reliability of the Infrared Optical Head Tracker

To evaluate the accuracy, validity, and reliability of a newly developed infrared optical head tracker (IOHT) using Nintendo Wii remote controllers (WiiMote; Nintendo Co. Ltd., Kyoto, Japan) for measurement of the angle of head posture. The IOHT consists of two infrared (IR) receivers (WiiMote) that are fixed to a mechanical frame and connected to a monitoring computer via a Bluetooth communication channel and an IR beacon that consists of four IR light-emitting diodes (LEDs). With the use of the Cervical Range of Motion (CROM; Performance Attainment Associates, St. Paul, MN) as a reference, one- and three-dimensional (1- and 3-D) head postures of 20 normal adult subjects (20-37 years of age; 9 women and 11 men) were recorded with the IOHT. In comparison with the data from the CROM, the IOHT-derived results showed high consistency. The measurements of 1- and 3-D positions of the human head with the IOHT were very close to those of the CROM. The correlation coefficients of 1- and 3-D positions between the IOHT and the CROM were more than 0.99 and 0.96 (P < 0.05, Pearson's correlation test), respectively. Reliability tests of the IOHT for the normal adult subjects for 1- and 3-D positions of the human head had 95% limits of agreement angles of approximately ±4.5° and ±8.0°, respectively. The IOHT showed strong concordance with the CROM and relatively good test-retest reliability, thus proving its validity and reliability as a head-posture-measuring device. Considering its high performance, ease of use, and low cost, the IOHT has the potential to be widely used as a head-posture-measuring device in clinical practice.

A three-dimensional object orientation detector assisting people with developmental disabilities to control their environmental stimulation through simple occupational activities with a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller

This study evaluated whether two people with developmental disabilities would be able to actively perform simple occupational activities to control their preferred environmental stimulation using a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller with a newly developed three-dimensional object orientation detection program (TDOODP, i.e. a new software program, which turns a Wii Remote Controller into a three-dimensional object orientation detector). An ABAB design, in which A represented the baseline and B represented intervention phases, was adopted in this study. The data shows that the performance of both participants has significantly increased (i.e. they perform more simple occupational activities to activate the control system to produce environmental stimulation) during the intervention phases. The practical and developmental implications of the findings are discussed.

Assisting people with multiple disabilities by actively keeping the head in an upright position with a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller through the control of an environmental stimulation

The latest researches have adopted software technology by applying the Nintendo Wii Remote Controller to the correction of hyperactive limb behavior. This study extended Wii Remote Controller functionality for improper head position (posture) correction (i.e. actively adjusting abnormal head posture) to assess whether two people with multiple disabilities would be able to actively keep the upright head position by controlling their favorite stimulation using a Wii Remote Controller with a newly developed active head position correcting program (AHPCP). The study was performed according to an ABAB design, in which A represented the baseline and B represented intervention phases. Results showed that both participants significantly increased their time duration of maintaining upright head position (TDMUHP) to obtain the desired environmental stimulation during the intervention phases. Practical and developmental implications of the findings were discussed.

Assisting children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder actively reduces limb hyperactive behavior with a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller through controlling environmental stimulation

The latest studies have adopted software technology which turns the Wii Remote Controller into a high-performance limb action detector, we assessed whether two persons with multiple disabilities would be able to control an environmental stimulus through limb action. This study extends the functionality of the Wii Remote Controller to the correction of limb hyperactive behavior to assess whether two children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) would be able to actively reduce their limb hyperactive behavior through controlling their favorite stimuli by turning them on/off using a Wii Remote Controller. An ABAB design, in which A represented the baseline and B represented intervention phases, was adopted in this study. Result showed that both participants significantly increased their time duration of maintaining a static limb posture (TDMSLP) to activate the control system in order to produce environmental stimulation in the intervention phases. Practical and developmental implications of the findings are discussed.

Use of gesture recognition to control household devices for older people

The world has an ageing population who want to stay at home, many of whom are unable to care for themselves without help. As the number of available carers is becoming saturated by demand, research is being carried out into how technology could assist elderly people in the home. A barrier preventing wide adoption is that this audience can find controlling assistive technology difficult, as they may be less dexterous and computer literate. This paper explores the use of gestures to control home automation, hoping to provide a more natural and intuitive interface to help bridge the gap between technology and older users. A prototype was created, and then trialled with a small panel of older users. Using the Nintendo Wii Remote (Wiimote) technology, gestures performed in the air were captured using an infrared camera. Computational intelligence techniques were then used to recognise and learn the gestures. This resulted in sending the command to standard home automation X10 units to control a number of attached electrical devices. It was found that although older people could readily use gestures to control devices, configuration of a home system might remain a task for carers or technicians.

The action dynamics of overcoming the truth

A convincing deceiver must act in discordance with their knowledge of the truth. To do so requires the deceiver to resolve competition between what is known to be true and what is intended to be false. We investigated the temporal signature of this competition by examining the action dynamics of arm movement while participants responded falsely or truthfully to autobiographical information. The participants answered no or yes by navigating a Nintendo Wii Remote to no and yes regions on a large projector screen. Trajectory analyses of the fine-grained arm movements show increased complexity in false responding relative to truthful responding, with the greatest difference in false yes answers. The dynamic motor movements also reveal greater strength of competition during the act of false responding, thereby extending traditional response time measures that capture latent competition alone. These results suggest that deceptive processes may be detectable when action is allowed to covary with thought. Supplemental figures and a list of the sentence stimuli may be downloaded from http://pbr.psychonomic-journals.org/content/supplemental.

A limb action detector enabling people with multiple disabilities to control environmental stimulation through limb action with a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller

This study assessed whether two persons with multiple disabilities would be able to control environmental stimulation using limb action with a Nintendo Wii Remote Controller and a newly developed limb action detection program (LADP, i.e., a new software program that turns a Wii Remote Controller into a precise limb action detector). This study was carried out according to an ABAB sequence in which A represented baseline and B represented intervention phases. Data showed that both participants significantly increased their target response, thus increasing the level of environmental stimulation by activating the control system through limb action, during the intervention phases. Practical and developmental implications of the findings are discussed.

The Wiimote and Beyond: Spatially Convenient Devices for 3D User Interfaces

The Nintendo Wii Remote (Wiimote) has served as an input device in 3D user interfaces (3DUIs) but differs from the general-purpose input hardware typically found in research labs and commercial applications. Despite this, no one has systematically evaluated the device in terms of what it offers 3DUI designers. Experience with the Wiimote indicates that it's an imperfect harbinger of a new class of spatially convenient devices, classified in terms of spatial data, functionality, and commodity design. This tutorial presents techniques for using the Wiimote in 3DUIs. It discusses the device's strengths and how to compensate for its limitations, with implications for future spatially convenient devices.