SlashGear

Not, perhaps, the sort of thing most SlashGear readers will be able to try at home, but if you’ve ever wanted to see a 15 tonne hydraulic grapple controlled by a humble Wiimote then here’s the video for you.  Simon Wittber of Australian firm Transmin is lucky enough to have not one but two remote-controlled grapple arms, each toting a vicious looking six-claw pincer, and so he and his team decided to link up Nintendo’s controller for some afternoon entertainment.

Video after the cut

Each grapple can make roughly twelve revolutions per minute – that’s about 72kph or 45mph – and has a sixteen meter reach.  The team used Python to link the Wiimote (via Bluetooth) into their normal grapple control system.

As an aside, Simon’s voice-over and the choice of music is perfect.  He sounds like just the sort of calm, level-headed person you’d want wielding a 15 tonne grapple with the casual flick of a Wiimote.

[via MAKE]