Originally Posted by Gamespot

Scientists adapt Wii Remote for military robot

Engineers at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Lab in Idaho Falls have been trying out using a Wii Remote to control their bomb disposal robots, reports New Scientist.

David Bruemmer and Douglas Few have modified the military Packbot robot so that it can be controlled using Nintendo's motion-sensitive Wii Remote.

The Packbot, which is made by iRobot, hunts down explosives, disposes of bombs, and checks for land mines to make areas clear for US soldiers.

Packbot can do some tasks autonomously but is generally controlled by a soldier using a joypad, similar to a standard console controller. However, doing things this way requires a lot of concentration, believe the two engineers, and a Wii Remote is much better suited to the task.

Bruemmer said, "Our tests show 90 percent of the operator's workload goes into driving the robot rather than keeping an eye on the sensor data. The Wii Remote is far more intuitive because movements of the hand directly translate into movements of the robot." This would therefore allow the soldiers to be able to pay closer attention to what they're seeing.

iRobot CEO Colin Angle agrees, and said, "Using the Wii Remote to control various aspects of the robot makes a lot of sense."

New Scientist also mentions that the Wii Remote has been used in a variety of other unconventional ways, including manipulating ultrasound images and monitoring movement deficiencies in people suffering from Parkinson's disease.