Right after I wrote this entry here, I visited Youtube to check out the gaming videos. One never knows what one might find, eh?
Good thing I did, because I came across something pretty cool. Before Johnny Lee invented his Wii Remote head tracking controller as seen in the previous entry, someone else did something almost as amazing – using your plain old webcam, which most people already own, and turning it into a head-tracker too!
The official FreeTrack website has loads of instructions and manuals on how to achieve head tracking. To whet your appetite, here’s a small excerpt:
FreeTrack is a free optical motion tracking application for Microsoft Windows, released under the GNU General Public License. Its main function is inexpensive head tracking in computer games and simulations but can also be used for general computer accessibility, in particular hands-free computing. Tracking is sensitive enough that only small head movements are required so that the user’s eyes never leave the screen.
Now is that cool or what? In short, you just need to go down to your local electronics store and get some LEDs. Plain old LEDs will do, but if you want better a experience, get those Infra-red LEDs. According to the website, you don’t even need a special webcam to read the IR LEDs! All you need are just any old photography FILM and put them over the webcam lens!
Ok that’s really cool because I never knew that!
The video above shows the software part of the setup. It’s very impressive indeed, and it’s all FREE to boot! The only thing you will be spending money on are to get the LEDs (and a webcam if you don’t already own one).
After seeing this, I am really tempted to try out FreeTrack myself. I have an old webcam lying around somewhere, and all I need is just to get 4 to 6 LEDs and find a way to make a harness to clip onto my head. Or, I could just stick the LEDs onto my headphones and the mic boom on the headphone.
