Camera Calibration of a NintendoWii Remote using PA-10 Robotic Arms

Abstract

The Remote control unit for the Nintendo Wii computer games console features an infrared camera capable of detecting up to 4 infrared lights. As such, it is possible to calibrate this device using normal camera calibration techniques so that it can be used for tracking or human interfacing in a virtual environment. Camera calibration is an active area of research and there is a wealth of software available to perform the calibration e.g. ArToolKit and Matlab. Camera calibration typically requires at least five images which contain multiple grid points from which a matrix of camera parameters can be estimated. This paper proposes a method of calibrating the Wii Remote's IR camera by building up 24 calibration points from the 4 viewed infrared LEDs for a single viewpoint of the IR camera. This is done by moving the 4 LEDs in a known sequence using highly accurate PA-10 robotic arms. The camera calibration matrix parameters obtained from this method are presented.