Headtracking (6DOF) with Wiimote

A modification of Johnny Lee's method has been discovered by Manuel Unternaehrer which solves the problems I mentioned previously, creating a true 6DOF head tracker.


It's official thread on WiimoteProject.com is here.


(I realize that the person is sitting down in the video but he just as easily could of been standing up in front of a TV.)

How does it work?

The Wii remote depends on the positions of two IRLEDs relative to eachother in order to perceive depth by measuring the apparent distance it sees between them. A third IRLED, positioned to make a triangle, will move differently when looking and turning than it would if it were moving in distance from the screen. For example, if you look down, the IRLED in the middle would move closer to and pass through the "line" between the other two IRLEDs. Likewise, If you look left or right, the middle IRLED would appear to "lean" closer to one of the other two LEDs.

You can demonstrate this to yourself like so: Hold up three fingers, with the middle one closer to you than the other two. Then bend your wrist towards you, (to simulate "looking down") away from you, (to simulate "looking up") and twist it left and right. (to simulate "turning left and right") Your fingertips positions as they would be seen in 2D act exactly the same as the three IRLEDs on the cap. (the Wii remote's IR camera can only see in 2D)

What does the third IRLED give us?

With this head tracker, not only can you do everything Johnny Lee's original program could do, but you can also look and turn. In effect, the head tracker becomes its own pointer, and the "look margin" from Metroid Prime 3 that was previously bound to the handheld Wiimote can be reassigned to the head tracker. Because the handheld Wiimote is no longer bound to a "look margin", it is free to be pointed anywhere on screen.