Balance Board makes Google Earth really exciting

by JC Fletcher { May 29th 2008 at 11:00AM }

It had to happen sometime! Researchers from the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence have developed a PC interface for the Balance Board controller, opening up infinite possibilities for stuff that can be controlled by directed standing.

Their proof-of-concept? Google Earth, followed by Microsoft Virtual Earth and Second Life. Using this interface, the virtual globe becomes a Silver Surfer simulator, allowing users to tour the (fake) Earth from the (fake) skies. In Second Life, the board becomes a virtual Segway, maneuvering your character from place to place by leaning. If you happen to have a totally sweet projector setup like these guys do (it's important for science), so much the better. But we suspect that the experience of flying around the world on the Balance Board would still be damned cool on any size monitor. Now if they'd only release their application, so we can send it to Mike ....

[Via Hacked Gadgets]

Tags: balance-board, google-earth, wii-fit

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

josh @ May 29th 2008 11:51AM

EMAIL them and get that shit to mike! my dream (besides winning the wii fit from you all) is to be silver surfer, with this program im one step closer

Jay @ May 29th 2008 11:55AM

Looks a lot better than that other SIlver Surfer game.

But in seriousness.....that is really awesome.

Phoenixfury @ May 29th 2008 12:09PM

If they ever decide to come out with a new Back To the Future game (much like they are doing a new Ghost Busters game now) just think of the possibilities! When it comes to Back to the Future the balance board would be the obvious choice for hover boarding!

PunchyMcJunk @ May 29th 2008 2:16PM

I'm going to take the contrarian viewpoint here... this is nothing spectacular at all... it is certainly not Johnny Lee type wii-hacking like I had hoped it would be. That Google Earth app was very uninteresting. Instead of turning, like you would expect with a lean left or right, it strafed. Same thing with Second Life... I think they need to take this one back to the drawing board. I see the possibilities behind this, and like what they are trying to do, but the execution of it is a little behind the times.