Endtroducing: The Hemp-Mote
Because Hemp Makes Everything Better‽ /s
Full body Wii-mote & Nunchuk modification. The first in a series of Wii-mote modifications that will be posted here in the coming months.
Need tiny people to
make tiny patterns.
The Hemp-Mote & Nunchuk
Made with 3 kinds of 100% natural hemp string on the outside (while remaining 100% functional on the inside).
In stark contrast to the original Wii-mote set; what was once sleek, white and hard plastic has now become a slightly fuzzy, natural and textured concoction. No more bland, branded and boring but mottled, flawfull, rough and just a tad sweat absorbing.
The Hemp-Mote is absolutely playable, all buttons, accelerometers and the infrared camera accounted for. Unfortunately its exterior is also quite fragile and prone to degeneration (As far as game controllers go), and being in this raw state makes it more of a show-case piece than a daily replacement.
Made?
I’ll post a more thorough tutorial on a similar Wii-mote mod soon (Update: posted tutorial part 1 & part 2), hopefully answering most questions.
First the original Mote & Nunchuk needed to be whittled down to a smaller form factor (so I wouldn’t end up with a very stocky mote).
Full Frontal.
Using saws and files I removed most of the hard plastic shells, then rebuild the underlying shapes using modeling putty. After Smoothing out the results I gave the whole a quick black paint job to ensure eventual gaps wouldn’t stand out too much.
Tadaa, a base to wrap stuff around.
I then took out my ball of string and started wrapping. Unfortunately, to keep the string from unraveling/shifting, you have to rather painstakingly glue everything into place as you go… Oh joy.
The first to get wrapped were the wire connecting the Wii-mote to the Nunchuk, then any large areas lying below others. Round and round I went. And round. After these single long unbroken string shapes were done it was onto the detail work. Buttons, ridge guards, connectors, shaping each to fit the whole (all the while making sure the underlying mechanisms function smoothly. Test often).
Finally, In a move that might have severely altered the here shown pictures, I used a lighter to remove any fuzz and somewhat seal the hemp string closed. /extreme caution
coincidentally, the thick wound wire connecting the controllers is now ideally suited to permanently alleviate the same boredom that inspired its existence.
Hemp-mote side shot.
Nunchuk wire connector.Now What
As said, the unprotected hemp is too sensitive to sweat, skin oils and stress to handle normal/daily playing conditions (with anything but latex gloves). And taking into account that wearing gloves while playing would make the whole endeavour rather retarded, the Hemp-Mote will mostly enjoy a long life as a showcase model with the occasional demo game.
That is until I figure out a way to make something more/better out of it.
Battery Insertion. The front part of the battery lid is now connected to the main body, allowing the lid to remain attached.
WHATS NEXT?:
First up, as far as Wii mote-mods are concerned, is a tutorial with accompanying “basics” mod. It goes into more detail about how this was done, and maybe help along some other modders. After that I’ll be playing with texture and looks for another mote, maybe 2, before losing the plot just a short bit later on.
For now though: more pics:
Please leave your comments and questions below.
And spread the word far and hard!
As a wii owner and a supporter of industrial hemp, I just have to smile.
Very detailed. I’m sure that took a long time. I had my steering wheel wrapped in a larger size hemp in high school. I had a large gauge wrapped about three times around the entire wheel then a smaller gauge wrapped tightly over it. That took a while so I can only imagine. Came undone after too many turns. Is this just for show or will you attempt to show it off? Looks great and time consuming.
Is there some kind of seal you could put around it that would keep it from absorbing sweat? As an artist I’ve used some spray seals on paints and pastels before to keep them from falling off; is there anything similar for hemp, or would it be too dangerous for the wiring and such?
That is exactly what I’m about to test. I didn’t yet because I wanted to make sure that I got good pictures and a post out of it before taking the risk. If the experiment is not a total loss the mote will probably get a small update post in the future.
Thanks to you and others for the comments BTW. Love what you’ve done to the place.
Wow! Very nice work. We have our own Global Hemp Waxed Hemp Twine in 10, 20, 36, 48, 100, and 170# test sizes. It looks like you used 20# (approximately 1mm in diameter). Keep up the good work!
Very cool. Looks really good. Props for actually showcasing it correctly on a nice page and photographing it in a light box.
Amazing!
Loving every single detail, and the idea itself..
Pure naturalist!
Taking Wii to the jungle!!
I love and I want one!
we linked your invention on our canabis culture blog in brazil.
check it out.
smoke it.
I’m wondering if you can still hear the sounds from the wii remote clearly.
Yup. It is even slightly louder (no more plastic & holes but only a tightly strung layers of string).
is it coincidence that this was originally posted at 4:20?
haha, nice catch, how appropriate.
(smoke tweed)
Congratulations !
I love it ! The cats must love it too ^^
French link to repost
You are my frickin’ hero.
one thing you might try as a sealant is shellac. It comes in flakes and is a natural sealant keeping the organic look of it. mind you it might tint the hemp a golden or blondish color.
Love this! I had to blog about it.
Magnifica paranoia!!!
this was in the ngamer magazine!
Hemp wrist strap?
This is definitely going to take my gaming experience to the next level!