Hack your usb missile launcher into an "Auto-aiming autoturret!"

Step 6: Finished

Now you have a fully autoaiming wiimote/missile-launcher turret.
Open your missile launcher software, and connect the missile launcher. If you've set up everything correctly, you can go ahead and start the GlovePIE script by hitting run, then switch over to your missile launcher software and watch as the missile launcher aims and shoots at IR targets.
It will be able to aim at anything that emits InfraRed radiation, like a candle, remote controller or the wii sensor bar. If you run into any problems or have a question for me, leave a comment or send a private message, and I'll be glad to help.

Comments

[frostybob]

I have a Lego Mindstorms 2.0 kit. Just wondering that because it has a IR function on it could the turret track the mindstorms brick??

[dremeldude]

This would be cool if you put an ir led on a rc helicopter and try to outfly the launcher

[account3r2]

will this work with the think geek one?

[toelle]

This one? http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/warfare/8a0f/

Well the missile launcher itself should work the same way, but maybe the software is different and you might have to tweak the code a bit, but it should work fine.

[account3r2]

what one did you use?

[rirdrifta]

Hello I have an ideo you can get some face detection soft ware for the computer than put camera instead of a wii reomte than when the camera has detected a face than the missle launcher can fire. Any thoughts?

[ultimatesx9]

IR only?.......... theres a problem, unless you took a web cam out of the case and put it on the missile launcher, and then made it aim at a moving object. yeah, not likly. this project is actully ironic, i wnet to maplins today, and saw the exact same ML, and was tempted to get it, but didnt have my money with me

[kirgy9]

actualy, the wiimote has a built-in IR camera. The "sensor bar" is quick ironic as all it does is light up IR LEDs the IR LEDs are used to help locate movement. If you dont believe me, powerup a wii, go to collaboration, find any old tv remote and point it at the wiimote whilst pressing buttons. On the screen you will see the LED lighting up on the TV remote. Its an odd system I know, but it works nonetheless.

[ultimatesx9]

No, i mean a webcam, you know, not IR-Cam. I know that a sensor bar is IR emitting light diodes inside. I mean using a webcam to track a moving objects motion and fire at that.

[mr.incredible]

 The Wii remote is the IR web cam, NOT the IR emitter. You need a IR emitter for it to track. That is why you can make a White Board with the remote.

[kirgy9]

oh right, I thought the guy was geting at the idea of using it to target an IR LED, rather than actualy using a webcam? Cus it wouldnt be too difficult if he was doing that

[Chowmix12]

 can't you use lasers to point at the target? laser pointers have these infrared warning labels so the should work right?

[gamefreak171]

what would be REALLY nice was if you could hook up a universal remote to it, program it to a specific set of button presses, so it would be like a macro gun. (assuming that if you were smart enough to do this, you could figure out how to make a portable circuit board and make a casing and trigger. (I know this is kind of far-fetched, and off-topic, but i felt the need to speak my idea.)

[marinevet1010]

Just a thought but maybe you should take this down as people may use this for criminal reasons (aka strapping it to a real gun, etc)

[ExtraMedium]

firstly I can't see many reasons why someone would choose to trust their attempts of murder to a wiimote its just silly. However not as silly as adamvan2000's claims that paper is fun.

[gamefreak171]

seriously, who ever heard of a "usb gun" anyway?

[Fatvod]

That is one of the dumbest requests ive ever heard.

[adamvan2000]

Wow.... That's just like saying one shouldn't use paper because it might be used to write plans for an atom bomb, or something. It's a fun, harmless toy. If someone has the know-how(and desire) to link this to some sort of weaponry, then chances are this instructable being here or not being here would not be a factor. They'd still find a way to do it regardless. Just like a knife, it can be used for cutting steaks or cutting off body parts. It's the intent of the user. That said, excellent 'ible. I really love the (unique)marriage of two commercial tech products. All you need is a sighting laser to make it extra freaky. I can imagine someone seeing the laser tracking an IR emitting source and freaking. ~adamvan2000

[shaneomacmcgee]

seriously if someone is demented enough to do that they're gonna do it if there's an Instructable or not. it'd be fun to put some IR lights on a toy car... drive it around, try not to get hit good Instructable

[cormac3050]

cool

[chriswillb]

I don't think they could do that really. This is a USB controlled device and most people who have a gun could do this anyways.

[Spreegem]

It can only aim at things that emit infrared light, so unless a criminal goes around taping infrared LEDs to people they cant use it for any illegal purpose. They would also have to carry around a laptop doing all the controlling, and create some sort of device to hold a real gun that can communicate back and forth between the computer. The possibility of a criminal doing all that is very low.

[jhvh.one]

IR led throwies!

[account3r2]

i had the same kind of idea. just make a bunch and give them to people or throw them at them. they will likely not know what it is, they will probably look at it for long enough for the missile launcher to find them! mwahaha

[Epimetheus]

Hahahahahaha nice

[marinevet1010]

No I'm thinking of a criminal at their house waiting for the police to show up.

[Spreegem]

Still, the police would need IR LEDs on them, the wiimote can only see relatively intense IR. Also, the IR LEDs have to be pointed within a certain angle dependent upon the LEDs for the wiimote to see the IR. You wouldn't be able to just put a single IR LED on someone and expect for it to work, LEDs dont emit the same intensity light 360 degrees in a sphere, they have certain angles where the light is more or less intense at. That's why trying to play your wii from the side doesn't work well, the wiimote can't see well without pretty much a straight on view.

[collard41]

oh, a thought popped into my head.. oh yeh, what about termal imaging cameras they work on infrared light emmited from the body.

[marinevet1010]

Yeah that's what I was thinking.

[linkmaster03]

Nobody emits infrared lol. Thermal cameras display thermal energy that is emitted from heat, ie: the heat your body gives off.

[collard41]

thermal energy is emitted in the Infrared wavelengh, think of it as very very red light that you cant see.

[Arx]

That's FAR infrared though, it's at a much longer wavelength than the NEAR infrared that standard sensors pick up.

[totally_screwed]

Unless I'm being dumb, the target doesn't need to emit IR, it could reflect IR. Just like laser guided bombs or missiles work. The LGB or LGM steers toward the basket which is the cone of reflected laser light which is aimed at the target by the aircraft or special forces target designator. Of course with laser designation, the laser has to be encoded (presumably not too different from IR used in a TV remote control), so that the bomb or missile doesn't or shouldn't look for the sun or a reflection of it, or any other strong IR sources. My old TV used to be confused by the IR emanating from a compact fluorescent light bulb, the new TV doesn't (old TV didn't use encoded commands and was designed before CFLs, new one does and is unaffected by CFLs). So an IR laser or collimated IR beam would do the trick. But the comms link could defeat many criminals.

It's amazing what you can learn from TV!

If a criminal is smart enough to crack the computer / gun comms link, then they wouldn't bother with this! They'd be into bot nets and DDOS attacks and big time extortion to get rich. No-one with any sense is going to use this to control a firearm to commit a crime. Firearms are too heavy and recoil. It would need to be thoroughly re-engineered. It's far simpler to pay someone to do the dirty deed.

All that hoopla aside - great Instructable!

[yobwoc]

Great. now some criminal's gonna set that up on the side of a highway and kill anyone in a silver car...

[TheLucster]

If you want to be really old school with tv remotes you need to forget about IR completely! We have a TV that uses ultrasonics in the remote to communicate with the TV.

[vinnygx3pimp]

zenith right? no batteries. just the sound made from the metal inside the remote being hit. Still would've been great today no betteries needed.

[TheLucster]

Nope afraid not! It was some old B&O tv, the batteries it uses are near enough impossible to find now.

[account3r2]

what kind of battery?

[vinnygx3pimp]

oh well zenith made one that just used the high pitched click of the metal. it was featured on hacknmod.com contest guess the thing.

[ExtraMedium]

any idea why this became obsolete? (other than the likelyness that it could change the channel if you drop the remote and it would interfere withe other peoples tvs)