Re: Wii Remote fun. Gotta see this!!
Accelerometers don't use IR in any way, they are micro mechanical devices with "free" mass inside. When force is applied, that mass moves in one or more axis, varying the capacitance in that axis. Then, some circuitery converts this into a proportional voltage or into digital signals or PWM, depending on the acelerometer type.
Wiimotes have one 3 axis accelerometer to measure forces and relative position, and a IR camera to get absolute position, not only accelerations. With the accelerometer the wiimote can only know how fast it's moving and how much time, but it can't know if it is on the left, right or 3 meters away from the wii. That's why the IR camera is required. A new addon for the wiimote includes a dual axis giroscope.
I have a wiimote bought for that proupose, and i use it to turn my monitor into a whiteboard with that program from jhonnylee. I made two autonomus pressure sensitive IR pens (i mean, the tip (an IR led) acts as the switch, if you press it it lights.
