Member Avatar for John A

Who needs the Wiimote?

...when there's laptops. But, you say, you can't wave laptops around to control your videogame! Actually you can. Many laptops manufactured now come with motion sensors to suddenly freeze the hard disk when it gets bumped around. These sensors can be read by software, which you can use to control software such as computer games running on the laptop. Sorry, Macs only.

Motion sensing laptops are nothing new. Apple's patented Sudden Motion Sensor technology has been inside PowerBooks since 2005, and is now standard in all of their new laptops. IBM had this technology even earlier, called Active Protection System, and was in several brands of ThinkPads. How this technology is designed to work, is if the sensors detect excessive movement, or lack of gravity (which means the unit is falling), then the firmware automatically locks up the write heads of the hard disk to prevent data loss. When the sensors detects safety, the drive continues to function normally.

But it didn't take developers too long to find out that the data obtained from the internal sensors wasn't just confined to the firmware/kernel of Mac laptops. They soon began writing software taking advantage of this, and so you can, for example, hack a laptop to switch desktops when whacked from the sides, as demonstrated in this video. But it didn't stop there. You can now download a program called AMS2HID, which allows you to use the laptop's sensors as an input device in any application. This would allows you to achieve similar feats to the ones made by Nintendo.

For some reason, this idea never really caught on in PC laptops. Perhaps it's the fact that it's not at all standard in any brand of laptops other than Apple. I only know of 3 laptop manufacturers that include a motion sensing device: IBM, Acer, and of course Apple. So PC laptop users miss out on all the fun.

But there's a lot of apps that take advantage of this on Mac... just for the record:

  • , which allows you to use your laptop as a lightsaber, making all the usual noises when swung around.
  • , a hack that allows you to switch desktops by whacking the laptop, as shown in the video previously.
  • , stupid, yet interesting window that rotates as you rotate the laptop to keep it always facing in the correct direction.
  • , the program that allows you to use the motion sensors inside your computer as input devices for an application.

I've spent the last 2 afternoons making my laptop into something more interesting than what I originally intended it for, and I no longer have an urge to buy a Wii. :twisted: My favorites are the MacSaber, which is sooo much better than those toy LightSabers you can buy at Wal-Mart. The more practical software is the SmackBook, as you don't have to dedicate crazy key combinations just to quickly switch virtual desktops. I wonder what my friends will say when they see me hitting my laptop when I'm gaming.

It's all very interesting, and probably the last thing on your mind when you bought that Mac laptop was if it could be used as a Wiimote or Light Saber. Well, now Apple had better put a strong wrist strap on these laptops so they don't go flying around the room like those Wii remotes...

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by sosmither

Dani AI

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Clever hack, and a good conversation starter. As noted, many notebooks shipped with accelerometers that were intended to protect spinning hard disks — Apple’s Sudden Motion Sensor appeared with the 2005 PowerBooks, and IBM/ThinkPad models had an Active Protection System earlier — and curious developers quickly found ways to read that data from userland. (apple.com)

Important differences matter if the goal is “Wiimote-style” control. Built-in laptop sensors are tuned to detect sudden shocks and parking events, not continuous, high-fidelity gesture tracking. The Wii Remote, by contrast, was designed for pointing and gesture input (accelerometer + optical/IR pointing, with later gyro add-ons) and sends motion data continuously to the console. That design difference explains why laptop hacks can be fun for simple tilt/shake tricks but won’t match a purpose-built controller for precision or responsiveness. (en.wikipedia.org)

Practical notes and safety tips: do experiments on a spare or fully backed-up machine; do not swing or toss a laptop — the sensors don’t protect the hinge, screen, or case. If testing motion input in software, add a deadzone and a low-pass filter to ignore vibration and reduce false triggers; sample at a steady rate, calibrate when the machine is stationary, and map only the axes you need. If the experiment risks HDD behavior, use an SSD or keep automatic HDD-parking enabled and use non-destructive tests. Also remember the Wii itself had real strap problems at launch and Nintendo ran a replacement program in December 2006. (cpsc.gov)

Bottom line: repurposing laptop motion sensors is a neat, low-cost experiment and great for demos; it’s not a safe or full-featured substitute for a dedicated motion controller. The thread captures both the charm of the hacks () and the practical cautions raised by and .

Member Avatar for Pickles

You need a wiimote to play games without damaging more expenisive hardware. I can *vaguely* imagine playing games by moving my PowerBook around but why would I do that? Cars have had motion sensors in them for airbag usage for years. Why can't I just wave my car around as an input device?

Member Avatar for sosmither

The Wiimote is a dangerous. I've seen first hand the power of the wiimote. The nintendo wii is fun, but the wiimote is scary!
:@ ;) :'( :D :-/ :X

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