Wii Bowling Accessory - Design for Everyone

The Wii Bowling Accessory consists of two parts, one to plug on the Wii controller (1)
and one plate to stand on and attach the rope to. (2)

The Wii Bowling Accessory was made in a school project by Andreas Legiest and Maarten Van Gestel (UGent students) in response to a request from a home for elderly people. The inhabitants of the home wanted to play Bowling on the Wii-console but had difficulties with the coordination and controls. This accessory can be 'plugged' on the Wii controller and makes it easier to play since the user only has to swing the device and there is no need for any buttons or controls.

We use a stiff elastic to switch the B-button of the Wii-controller on and off. This releases the bowling ball in the game. The timing of the release-point is dependent of an elastic rope attached to the plate, where the user stands on.

Feel free to change the parts of use the accessory for new/other purposes. The design we made is specific for our users. The strength and elasticity of the parts has to be changed to meet the needs of every new user.

Before we start assembling the accessory, we need all the parts. The body of the accessory is a 3D printed piece, the STL-file can be found in the attachments. The rest of the parts are grommets, rings to connect with the plate, a stiff, wide elastic, a long elastic robe, and a nail.

The holes in our model are made for nails with a maximum diameter of 3,5 mm. If you want to use a bigger nail, remember to change the holes in the model accordingly.

Cut the nail into two pieces of 28 mm (also depending on the model you use).

The stiff and wide elastic is used to switch the B-button of the Wii-controller on and off. We cut the elastic to a piece of 100 mm in length (our elastic is 18 mm wide).

Secondly, we cut the corners of the elastic. The connections are only at one side of the elastic, so the other part isn't necessary.

After that we made holes for the grommets. The holes are symmetric from the middle, and the distance from the middle of the elastic are 45 mm and 36 mm.

The grommets can be added using a special kind of pliers (which you can find in every hardware store). Make sure you connect the grommets hard enough, so they won't come off when using the accessory.

When the grommets are connected, you can sew the elastic rope to the wide elastic. We used a normal needle and string.

The small rings can now be tied to the elastic rope, this length is specific for the user, we have connected multiple rings, so our accessory fits multiple users.

When all the parts are ready, you can assemble them. This finishes part (1)

We use an alluminium tread plate of 1,5mm thick. The treads give grip to the user to stand firm, the plate only has a height of 1,5mm. Otherwise this would be dangerous for tripping and falling.

Two holes are drilled in the center of the right and left side. We make it symmetrical so it would work for left- and right-handed users. These holes need to be big enough to fit your rivets through.

The corners are rounded for safety purposes, so that no one can cut himself while lifting or moving the plate.

We connect a hook to the plate, by fixing it with a bracket and rivets. The shape of the hook or bracket doesn't matter, but important for this connection is that it should be fixed and as low as possible (danger for falling), and most important have a small connection on the backside of the plate.

The elastic rope can now be attached to the hooks. Choose (and indicate) the correct side and length for every user.

To make sure the plate doesn't move away while standing on it, we covered the backside with an anti-slip layer. First cover the edges with double-sided adhesive tape and then simply roll out the anti-slip material over it. Press lightly and cut off the remaining edges.

Part (2) is now ready.

For first use, click the accessory on to the remote and stand on the plate with your arms relaxed. Now tie a small ring on the elastic rope 10cm above the ground, this is the right height for our elasticity, this might differ for other elastic ropes. The calibration process is trial and error. Connect the ring in the hook.
You can tie multiple rings on the rope, for other users, when the height difference is to big.

The accessory is tested with multiple users. It can be used while standing but can also be used while sitting in a wheelchair or normal chair, for elderly that cannot stand up straight for long.

See the project movie for more information about the situation, problem and usage.

Project Movie