Friday, July 27, 2007

Wiimotes and training

It was bound to happen. The Wii controller, the Wiimote, is now being used in training simulations. There’s no doubt that this is a breakthrough technology where the input device fits the user, not the interface. Wired magazine has reported on projects in power plants, medical devices, pest-control and driving simulations. Some of these projects are placed in Second Life, others use Google Maps and Google Earth. In the driving simulation they use real accident blackspots to teach safe driving.

Simulations have been around for a long time. The difference now is that they are possible for a fraction of the price as games technology and games authoring software (Caspian learning) has plummeted. What the Wiimote gives you is hands-on manipulation and experience.