Imagine driving a miniature kart not with a steering wheel, not with a little Nintendo controller, but with the natural movement of your hand. Our project creates a gesture-based motion controller that senses your hand’s tilt and rotation and wirelessly translates those gestures into smooth and precise control of a small Kar. Unlike most motion controllers designed for video games, our system brings motion control into the real world, offering an experience that is both intuitive and immersive.
To achieve this, we developed two custom PCBs—one for the Kar and one for the Kontroller—along with embedded firmware supporting Bluetooth LE communication, IMU data collection and fusion, haptic feedback generation, and motor control. The Kontroller gathers motion data from its onboard IMUs and transmits this information over Bluetooth LE. The Kar interprets these inputs and responds in real time with corresponding motor movements and acceleration. The Kar’s onboard IMU data is then fused with the Kontroller’s throttle state to generate real-time haptic feedback, closing the loop between user gesture, vehicle motion, and tactile response.
Mario Kar combines haptics and robotics to create a new kind of controller system that feels natural, responsive, and fun!
