Assistive technologies have a pretty big presence here on Hackaday, and this hack is nothing short of interesting. [kerchoo_22] is working on a hands-free video game controller as a final project for her engineering class and we think it’s worth sharing.
The basic premise of the circuit is pretty simple. She DIY’d a few contact switches using conductive plates made of cardboard, duct tape, and aluminum foil. The output of the switch is read by analog input pins on an Arduino Leonardo. When the switches are off, the analog input pins are pulled HIGH using 1 MegaOhm resistors. But when the user hits their head on one of the four conductive pads, the switch is engaged, and the analog input pins are shorted to ground.
The Arduino Leonardo, having a native USB port, is able to directly emulate a keyboard. Each conductive pad is mapped to a different key press corresponding to different functions within the game. Left, right, shoot, etc. And there you have it, gameplay without using hands or a controller!
Now, it seems as though [kerchoo_22] put an appropriate amount of cushion on the head pads, so there probably isn’t much danger of a concussion. Either way, you can never be too careful.
Cushion or no, once you start mashing buttons, you’re going to look like a lunatic dancing to hardcore. A concussion? Maybe not. Whiplash? How could you not?
This article fails to describe what this actually is, but tells us about 1 Megaohm resistors.
If you’re interested, skip this article and read the original. So basically, the link would have been enough.
It’s four bump switches around the head fixed to the chair.
But maybe it’s just me, and the editors got it.
not the proper way to build a tinfoil hat !
Nice and interesting work! Makes one wonder about minimum usable interface for a computer. How many buttons/switches are needed as a minimum?
Perhaps 6: left right front (up) back (down) enter erase.
Connect this to some wearable lighting and take it to a metal concert!