sensor for body mooving

Thread Starter

elis58

Joined May 27, 2006
3
hello


I need yours ideas helpping me with a project that will
do this:

a person will moove on a platform with a sensor that can detect his
movement and convert it to a mouse movement like on a computer
screen, so actually by the person movement on the platform we
can move a certain items on the screen. it should follow the person
movment speed and direction .

could someone have an idea what such a devise should contain ?


it's sound cool


elis
 

Thread Starter

elis58

Joined May 27, 2006
3
Originally posted by thingmaker3@May 27 2006, 05:46 PM
Try an internet search using the term "dance pad."
[post=17360]Quoted post[/post]​
thanks for your answer but i need i device that will act as a computer mouse and not as keyboard arrows.
 

Steel

Joined Oct 27, 2004
25
The mouse just gives an X/Y motion and sends that to the PC...You can do this same thing with the following 2 parts (plus communications)

a Microcontroller - PIC, UBICOMM SX, anything
Accellerometer - http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_i...products_id=730

This won't require any 'pad' or limited motion. The accelerometer reads motion in an X/Y axis and transmits it as an analog voltage level.

Use the Controller with an ADC - http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=ADC0831 to read the voltage.

Once the controller has a digital value of this voltage level, you can transmit it anyway you like -UART to RS232, to a FTDI USB Chip, or wireless.

You will have to 'hack' your mouse driver in your PC software to default to those ports for actually tracking the motion.

Hope this helps. sounds like fun.
 

Thread Starter

elis58

Joined May 27, 2006
3
Originally posted by Steel@Jun 6 2006, 11:50 AM
The mouse just gives an X/Y motion and sends that to the PC...You can do this same thing with the following 2 parts (plus communications)

a Microcontroller - PIC, UBICOMM SX, anything
Accellerometer - http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_i...products_id=730

This won't require any 'pad' or limited motion. The accelerometer reads motion in an X/Y axis and transmits it as an analog voltage level.

Use the Controller with an ADC - http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=ADC0831 to read the voltage.

Once the controller has a digital value of this voltage level, you can transmit it anyway you like -UART to RS232, to a FTDI USB Chip, or wireless.

You will have to 'hack' your mouse driver in your PC software to default to those ports for actually tracking the motion.

Hope this helps. sounds like fun.
[post=17554]Quoted post[/post]​


can i buy a product like this?
 

Steel

Joined Oct 27, 2004
25
This is several products that you will have to learn to put together and develop.

This is what you would need (roughly)

1 microcontroller (I am working with the Ubicomm SX) :
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=SX28AC/SS-G

1 Accelerometer:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_i...products_id=406

1 2-Channel ADC (for reading X/Y analog, and giving controller a digital signal):
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tlc0831.pdf

1 Communication Interface:
USB?
http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=604-00043
Serial?
http://rocky.digikey.com/WebLib/Texas%20In...ata/MAX3222.pdf

And you will need accompanying components (which are listed in the data sheet)

Obviously you will have to design it (I use WinQcad for schematic and PCB Design for large manufacturing. For cheap prototypes, Get ExpressPCB) and you will have to develop the firmware for the Microcontroller (see parallax site for compiler and developer). The firmware will have to output the communication signal the same way a mouse communicates. You may want to check the signal prior to the USB Driver...If you can't then...well, sorry.

The Mouse Driver on your PC is expecting specific data packets to come to it. You make your microcontroller spit out those same data packets, and your PC won't know the difference. All that you have to do once you get the data packets correct, is point your mouse driver START|Control Panel|System|Hardware|Device Manager|Mice and other pointing devices|and switch to a driver that will read the port you plug your device into.


I would help you out, but I am booked up with 2 projects right now. In another month or so, I can help...but Im not free ;)
 
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