Japanese researchers demonstrate a robotic wheelchair operated with Wii game controller

The Personal Mobility Robot, or PMR, is a nimble robotic wheelchair that self-balances on two wheels like a Segway. The machine, based on a platform developed by Toyota, has a manual controller that the rider uses to change speed and direction.

Now two University of Tokyo researchers have decided to upgrade the machine, making it controllable by a Wii remote controller. Why drive the thing with a Wii-mote? Well, why not?

Last year, when I visited the JSK Robotics Laboratory, part of the university’s department of mechano-informatics and directed by Professor Masayuki Inaba, researchers Naotaka Hatao and Ryo Hanai showed me the PMR under Wii control. They didn’t let me ride it while they’re piloting the machine, but it was fun to watch.

Continue reading at IEEE Spectrum –>