Wiiolin: a Virtual Instrument Using the Wii Remote

The console gaming industry is experiencing a revolution in terms of user control, and a large part to Nintendo’s introduction of the Wii remote. The online open source development community has embraced the Wii remote, integrating the inexpensive technology into numerous applications. Some of the more interesting applications demonstrate how the remote hardware can be leveraged for nonstandard uses. In this paper we describe a new way of interacting with the Wii remote and sensor bar to produce music. The Wiiolin is a virtual instrument which can mimic a violin or cello. Sensor bar motion relative to the Wii remote and button presses are analyzed in real-time to generate notes. Our design is novel in that it involves the remote’s infrared camera and sensor bar as an integral part of music production, allowing users to change notes by simply altering the angle of their wrist, and henceforth, bow. The Wiiolin introduces a more realistic way of instrument interaction than other attempts that rely on button presses and accelerometer data alone.