Wearable TrackIMU
Introduction and QuickStart Guide
I. INTRODUCTION
The wearable TrackIMU products are particularly developed for Surf Simulator’s games. Using state-of-the-art motion sensing and human computer interaction technologies, the products provide a more interactive and immersive gaming experience. It is a wearable device that truly engages players to move like in real sports. It requires no camera or additional software, and captures human body motion continuously in 3D space. A quick feature summary is shown in the figure.
TrackIMU consists of three options, based on wearing location on body, namely Waist-TrackIMU, Arm-TrackIMU and Ankle-TrackIMU. The devices can be used for both single-player and multi-player games.
A. Waist-TrackIMU
B. Arm-TrackIMU
C. Ankle-TrackIMU
Every TrackIMU comes fully calibrated and works out of the box. The user can simply put them on as guided and start playing with the game. The following section will describe briefly the simple steps to put on, set up and use the device.
II. QUICKSTART GUIDE
A. Waist-TrackIMU
1.
Connect the device to the computer running games using the 3-meter USB cable provided in the product kit. At this time, the device will power up and start working. The computer will recognize the device as a joystick. If you go to “Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers”, you will be able to see a game controller icon labeled “Arduino Miro”, and that suggests your computer is communicating with TrackIMU devices successfully. If you are playing the dueling game, you can connect two TrackIMU devices. And the computer will show two separate game control icons with the same name.
2.
Put the device on your waist tightly, with TrackIMU device on the front side of the body, and the cable connector pointing to the right side. No need to overtight the waist band. The feeling is that the device can follow your body movement. Don’t let the device move relative to your body. A tip is that if you pass the USB cable through the plastic frame next to TrackIMU device, it could reduce some stress on the device connector and avoid any unexpected connector break off.
3.
Register joystick movement to game. Start the game, you will first get the “WaveSurfer Configuration” dialog. Click the “Input” tab, go to “Horizontal (+)”, double click the “Primary” area, a small dialog “Input configuration” will show up, tilt your body to right to set the positive direction. Once the “Input Configuration” disappears, the game has recorded the joystick. Repeat this for “Horizontal (-)”. Go to “Horizontal(-)”, double click the “Primary” area, at the “Input configuration” dialog, tilt your body to left to set the negative direction.
4.
Now the device is all set. You can go to “Advance Settings” of the game to adjust the level of sensitivity and other parameters.
Note: The schematic illustrates what body motion is captured by Waist-TrackIMU. The Waist-TrackIMU measure the tilt of body left and right. Attn: Body twist is filtered and not captured by Waist-TrackIMU.
B. Arm-TrackIMU
The Arm-TrackIMU comes with 3 major components, armband, Arm-TrackIMU, 3-meter cable.
The game set up process is pretty much the same as in Option A. Waist-TrackIMU. Please refer to the above section for setting up ARM-TrackIMU with your games. Here lists a couple of points that help players get the best using experience.
1.
Assemble the device. The armband has a slide and lock mechanism to ensure a reliable installment.
2.
Put the device on Left arm, otherwise, you have to move in the opposite direction to control the turn of the character in games;
3.
To get the best sensitivity, try to keep TrackIMU device vertical initially with USB connector pointing down toward the ground, and the surface of the device facing left;
4.
To reduce the cable-swing-induced stress on the connector, hold the cable in hand during the game;
5.
Try not to detach your left arm from the main body, otherwise, it is actually monitoring the movement of your arm, instead of your body.
C. Ankle-TrackIMU
The hardware components of Ankle-TrackIMU is the same as Option B. Arm-TrackIMU. The unique feature of this option is that the player can mount the device on the ankle area, mimicking the real surfing condition.
In this configuration, the TrackIMU device captures the tilting of the lower leg. To get the best results, put the device on your left leg, try to keep the device vertical initially, with USB connector pointing down and the surface of Ankle-TrackIMU facing left.