Mobile Collaboration Room Under $250 with Wii Remote

One of the largest challenges working with a global company are increasingly large number of dislocated teams that we interact with.

Last year, one of my colleagues and I set out to help remove some of the barriers that exist for dislocated teams. Specifically, we looked at the various options that are available for interactive whiteboards. We wanted to find something that any team could afford, travel with, and use easily.

We looked at various options to create a usable, interactive whiteboard solution, including software for the Microsoft Kinect device and options using a Nintendo Wii remote. We found that actually holding a “pen” that was required for the Wii solution was much more natural and had a higher fidelity than waving our hands in the air with the Kinect.

Check out some of the early software and prototyping that Johnny Lee did with Wii Remotes. This early work inspired many Wii solutions. Below is a list of the tools and resources that we used for our Portable Interactive Collaboration Room solution.

Bottom line, you can have an interactive while board, with HD video and audio for less than $250.

We leveraged Live Meeting (though you could use WebEx just as easily). You’ll also need a laptop and a projector (or large screen display) not included in the $250 price. Enjoy!

We’ve been having a good time introducing teams to these tools. What do you use to help with your dislocated teams?