Tim Hirzel really likes boats and he apparently knows how to tinker with electronics. After more than a few lazy afternoons in his old boat, Mr. Hirzel decided that he needed something that would both cater to his “nerdiness” and his desire to have an autopilot in the future. The solution? He used a Wii nunchuck steering device.
At this point, I can’t pretend to understand the tech babble, but his blog mentions in decent detail the application of an Arduino programmed servo on the side of the motor mount to make this all possible. The boat controls with the joystick, buttons, and even the motion capabilities of the nunchuck. The best news is that the boat is working out splendidly as you can see from the above video.
I only wish I could do something cool like this. Personally, I would like to have an automated ashtray dumper controlled via an Xbox 360 controller. Sure, it speaks to my laziness, but it would be an awesome sight to lay your eyes on. Have you guys made anything like this? Is there anything you would like to make using a videogame peripheral?
VIDEO.DESTRUCTOID | JAPANATOR | TOMOPOP
1:56 PM on 07.28.2008 
