Concept

The idea for the project is to have a Wii Nunchuk controlled laser pointer.

Aiming the laser only requires two servo motors, one used for the horizontal angle and one for the vertical angle. Turning the laser on would involve completing the laser pointer's circuit through the Arduino, to allow it to be controlled without physically pushing the button.

Since the Nunchuk used for the Wii gaming system has a three axis accelerometer, two of these axes can be used to control the horizontal and vertical angles. One of the buttons on the Nunchuk can be used to tell the Arduino when to complete the circuit and turn the laser on. Using the Nunchuk will make controlling the Nunchuk-Laser-Bot very intuitive, as the motion of the laser will follow the motions of the Nunchuk.

So far the parts planned for use are:

-An Arduino
-Two small servos
-A laser pointer
-A Wii Nunchuck
-A component used to attach the servos correctly, made with the 3D printer.
- Some kind of base so that everything can be connected.

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We have thought of several optional goals if the main project is completed with spare time:

-Making the Nunchuk-Laser-Bot mobile
-Giving it some type of self aiming ability (for example, aiming at the closest object, or at the brightest/darkest light source)
-Having some kind of small projectile to shoot instead of a laser pointer

These will require either motors, sensors, strong servos, and possibly Arduino shields to accomplish. Since they can be done independently from the main idea, these will simply be thrown on as 'extra features' depending on how much time is available after the main goal is accomplished.

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Andrew Southworth