Shooting Virtual Zombies with Real Guns
One of the biggest complaints about video games is that they motivate impressionable minds to conduct real acts of violence. The developers at Waterloo Labs have built a system that allows the user to participate in a first person shooter with real guns. Similar to high tech shadow boxing, the developers rigged a piece of dry wall with four accelerometers. When the bullet from the gun hits the wall it gives off a small shock wave. By calculating how long the wave took to get to each accelerometer the developers can triangulate exactly where the bullet hit. The computer can then relate that position to the game screen that is projected onto the target wall. Fortunately, the developers stressed that using real guns was a little overkill to prove their setup works. They also stated that this setup can work with rubber band guns, blunt objects, and even shovels and that anyone who wants to make this setup at home should not use real guns.
[via Gizmodo]

