Engineering TV : Gaming

Festo Airmotion Ride Simulator

CurtisEllzey — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:00:00 GMT

The interplay of fluidic muscles and mechatronic systems in the Airmotion_ride makes it possible to generate an extraordinary range of driving and flight simulations. A hexapod structure using parallel kinematics, with six Festo fluidic muscles, creates a realistic driving and flying sensation. In this project, leading pneumatics supplier Festo demonstrates an exciting, cost-effective alternative to complicated hydraulic constructions. Also watch this episode: Festo CMXR Robotic Control. For more information, go to: Festo.

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Microchip Microcontrollers

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:00:00 GMT
At Electronica in Munich, Germany, Fanie Duvenhage, Applications Director for Microchip Technology Inc., shows off some of the varied applications that utilize Microchip microcontrollers. Various devices include the Wi-Safe Remote Warning Handset from FireAngel, wearable iPod controllers from QIO Systems, the SensoGlove computerized golf glove, slot car racers from Scalextric, DigiFlux dimmable energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs, Therm-ic Power Gloves (heated ski gloves), and USB rechargeable batteries from Moixa. Also watch this episode: Bathomatic Automated Bathtub. For more information, go to: Microchip.

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Sixense TrueMotion 3D CAD Interface

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:00:00 GMT
Sixense's TrueMotion interface has some fascinating potential beyond being used as a gaming input device. In Part 3 of this interview, Jeff Bellinghausen, CTO and Chief Architect, demonstrates a CAD interface designed at the Sixense studios that utilizes two TrueMotion controllers working simultaneously to fluidly and accurately manipulate objects in a 3D space, including the ability to rotate, tilt, pan and scale multiple objects with ease. The controllers operate within a magnetic field rather than relying upon accelerometer technology. The degree of accuracy falls to the nearest millimeter, and is updated once every ten milliseconds. Also watch these episodes: Sixense TrueMotion 3D Controller and Sixense TrueMotion Controller Demo.

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Sixense TrueMotion Controller Demo

CurtisEllzey — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:00:00 GMT
Part 2 of Engineering TV's interview with Jeff Bellinghausen at Sixense Entertainment shows the TrueMotion controller in action. Applications include sports such as baseball, football and soccer, a lightsaber demo, and first-person shooter interfaces, amongst others. The TrueMotion 3D controller from Sixense is an input device based on precise tracking within a magnetic field, relative to a base station, and is able to sense movement in six degrees of freedom with millimeter accuracy. Also watch these episodes: Sixense TrueMotion 3D Controller and Sixense TrueMotion 3D CAD Interface.

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Sixense TrueMotion 3D Controller

CurtisEllzey — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:43:00 GMT
In Part 1 of this interview, Engineering TV visited Jeff Bellinghausen, CTO and Chief Architect, at the Sixense studios in Los Gatos, California. Jeff gives us a run-down of their TrueMotion control system. The TrueMotion 3D controller from Sixense is an input device based on precise tracking relative to a base station and is able to react with pinpoint accuracy to movement in six degrees of freedom. Unlike a Wiimote or Sixaxis controller, the TrueMotion controller operates within a weak magnetic field rather than relying upon accelerometer technology. The degree of accuracy falls to the nearest millimeter, and is updated once every ten milliseconds. This results in a fluid, highly accurate input device that could revolutionize PC and console gaming, as well as lead to some fascinating applications in the engineering design, industrial and medical fields. Also watch these episodes: Sixense TrueMotion Controller Demo and Sixense TrueMotion 3D CAD Interface.

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Testing the Wii with PXI - Part 2

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:33:00 GMT
Barron Stone and Chetan Kapoor have conducted a teardown of the Nintendo Wii to test various components using National Instruments LabVIEW and PXI based modular instruments. In Part 2 of this Engineering TV video, Barron discusses using the PXI-5114, a high-speed digitizer, to test the Wii's video signals. Using NI’s patented T-Clock synchronization technology, these digitizers can be synchronized to create systems of up to 34 phase-synchronous 1 GS/s channels, or they can be integrated with other NI hardware to build a complete, automated mixed-signal test system. Chetan Kapoor reveals additional capabilities of the PXI modular system when working with the Nintendo Wii Remote.

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Testing the Wii with PXI - Part 1

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:48:00 GMT
At NIWeek 2008, Barron Stone and Chetan Kapoor chose the Nintendo Wii to demonstrate using National Instruments technology to comprehensively test complex electronic systems. Nintendo Wii is a next generation gaming console that competes with the likes of Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3. In this demo, a Nintendo Wii was torn down to explore its inner operations and understand how PXI based systems can be used to comprehensively test its critical components. Various components such as the EEPROM on the Wii Remote, and Video and Audio output from the Wii console were tested using LabVIEW graphical programming language, and PXI based modular instruments.

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D-BOX: Putting the "Motion" in Motion Pictures

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:55:00 GMT
At CEDIA 2008, Philippe Roy, Chief Technology Officer for D-BOX, discusses how they are bringing home entertainment into a whole new dimension. D-BOX Motion Code is a sophisticated, groundbreaking technology that creates real-life motion perfectly synchronized to on-screen movie and gaming action. All the motion is encoded frame by frame by a skilled D-BOX motion artist. You simply pop your Blu-ray disc or DVD of a title that appears in the D-BOX Motion Code Library (over 800 titles currently available) in your Blu-ray or DVD player. The D-BOX Controller automatically matches the movie in the player, downloads the corresponding D-BOX Motion Code and sends it to your D-BOX-equipped seating. Their home theater seating, and racing and flight simulator models for gaming, use proprietary advanced robotics technology, built-in commercial-grade motion actuators including pistons, low-friction motion devices and high-tech motors. They’re small but powerful and robust, and have the capability of producing up to 2 Gs of acceleration.

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NI Labview Nintendo Power Pad

CurtisEllzey — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:03:00 GMT
In the spirit of the Beijing Olympics, National Instruments featured this interactive LabVIEW demonstration at NI Week 2008. Competitors could compete in a video game reminiscent of the original Konami Track & Field series. The game was programmed using NI LabVIEW graphical programming software and the control interface utilizes the classic Nintendo Power Pad, a mat with twelve pressure-sensors embedded between two layers of flexible plastic. Other competitions included a fencing match and a remote-control car race.

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Cythbot: Guitar Hero Robot

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:24:00 GMT
Demonstrating Cyth Systems solutions, Cythbot is a true Guitar Hero. The autonomous system can play the wildly popular video game solo or in versus mode using a Compact Vision System (CVS) and a Configurable Signal Conditioning Enclosure (CA-1000) from National Instruments. "We have 5 groups of pixels on the screen corresponding to the 5 notes we might need to play," says Ivan Gagne, Systems Engineer with Cyth Systems. "We relied on the light intensity of the pixels in each of those groups. We couldn't rely on the color of the notes because during the game all the notes turn bluish white when you activate star power. We also couldn't rely on the shape of the notes because, at times, they turn into stars. If that light intensity value exceeds a predetermined threshold, we know we need to hold down that key and actuate the strum bar after a predetermined delay while the note travels down the screen to the bottom "play line". If a note was there for more than ~1/4 second the machine activates the whammy bar to score additional points on the sustained notes. There's another threshold where the intensity has to drop before it can consider the note "played" and therefore ready to start playing another note. The imaging, the region of interest, and the light intensity functions were all built into NI's vision toolkit for LabView."

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Inertial Sensors and Accelerometers

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:43:00 GMT
Louis Ross, President & CEO of Virtus Advanced Sensors, discusses his company's inertial sensors and accelerometers as well as their applications, including a version of the Sony PlayStation Portable handheld game console that replaces the analog 'nub' with a 3-axis accelerometer for tilt and motion control. Virtus Advanced Sensors is a fabless sensor company commercializing inertial sensor technology developed using MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) and micro-machining methods. The company maintains a patent portfolio of over 80 registered US and European patents MEMS inertial sensor technology, which includes multi-axis accelerometers and gyros and integrated motion sensors. Virtus' true "single-chip" solution to producing multi-axis MEMS inertial sensors is an industry first, and will lead to the production of the world's first single chip 6-axis MEMS motion sensor.

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Wii Remote Robotic Arm

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:04:00 GMT
With a high-resolution camera, a 3-axis accelerometer, and a Bluetooth wireless link, the Nintendo Wii Controller (Wiimote) offers exciting possibilities beyond use as a video game controller for the Nintendo Wii. One of National Instruments' Application Engineers, Evan Dozier, modified an existing robotic arm using NI Hardware, LabVIEW and the Wiimote controller from the Nintendo Wii. In this application, Anu Saha from National Instruments uses the Wiimote and some special Bluetooth LabVIEW VIs to control the robot either with the buttons or with the accelerometers.

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Boxing with ZCam

CurtisEllzey — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:11:00 GMT
3DV Systems' Algorithm Engineer Sagi Katz discusses their ZCam technology, and Rich Flier demonstrates a gaming application...and also some engineer boxing skills!

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3D Camera

CurtisEllzey — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:10:00 GMT
Breakthrough video imaging technology and camera capture objects in 3D, enabling users to control personal space through intuitive body gestures. 3DV System's ZCam is a real-time, depth sensing camera.

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Tactile Sensation Gaming Equipment

Terry Knight — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:02:00 GMT
TN Games is taking gaming to the next level with gaming gear that provides feedback with pneumatic impulses that put the user in the game. The system is based on technology to allow physicians to give distance exams.

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