Generating a personal avatar and morphing the avatar in time

• US 10,210,647 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2017
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Guo, Shang Q., Lenchner, Jonathan, Mukherjee, Maharaj
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US15/447,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20180253882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings

Abstract

A virtual reality processor-based system and computer implemented method that morphs an individual'"'"'s personal characteristics, including appearance, voice, speech behavior, movement behavior, physical agility and expressionable ideas, so that people can have a more realistic sensation as they move in the past and future. The personal avatar morphed to a time in the past is based on interpolating the personal characteristics information and the avatar morphed to a time in the future is based on extrapolating the personal characteristics information. The avatar morphed to a time in the past is restricted from speaking a response inconsistent with real-world events. In another embodiment, an option to change the scenarios whereby users can experience different changes of events is provided.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for generating a personal avatar in a virtual reality (VR) environment, comprising:

inputting, by the processor-based system, personal characteristics information relating to a human subject, the personal characteristics information including audio/video recordings of the human subject, photographic images of the human subject, social media feeds of the human subject, physical abilities of the human subject and medical history of the human subject;

determining, by the processor-based system, avatar personal characteristics from the personal characteristics information and storing the avatar personal characteristics in an avatar personal characteristics table;

inputting, by the processor-based system, information relating to a VR environment in which avatars interact and information relating to real-world events;

generating, by the processor-based system, an avatar of the human subject based on the avatar personal characteristics;

presenting, by the processor-based system, the generated avatar of the human subject to the user in the VR environment, wherein the generated avatar of the human subject comprises the determined avatar personal characteristics;

receiving, by the processor-based system, a first communication from the user, the communication requesting the avatar to appear in one of a time in the past and a time in the future;

presenting, by the processor-based system, the avatar of the human subject morphed to the requested time in the past based on interpolating the personal characteristics information stored in the avatarpersonal characteristics table;

formulating, by the processor-based system, a response to a received second communication, based on the determined expressionable ideas and the real-world events;

presenting, by the processor-based system to the user, the morphed avatar of the human subject speaking the response, with the avatar speaking with morphed voice; and

morphed speech behavior, appearing with morphed appearance, and moving with morphed movement behavior and morphed physical agility,

wherein the avatar morphed to a time in the past being restricted from speaking a response inconsistent with the real-world events.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the avatar personal characteristics comprise one or more of:

appearance simulating the human subject, voice simulating the human subject, movement behavior that is characteristic of the human subject, speech behavior that is characteristic of the human subject, physical agility that is characteristic of the human subject, and expressionable ideas that are characteristic of the human subject.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising presenting by the processor-based system the avatar of the human subject morphed to the requested time in the future based on extrapolating the personal characteristics information stored in the avatar personal characteristics table.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 3 wherein, the avatar morphed to a future time is based on the extrapolation of one or more of the physical abilities of the human subject, physical activity history of the human subject and medical history of the human subject.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the inputting of the physical abilities of the human subject is based on movement of a wand by the human subject in reaction to real world stimuli or VR stimuli.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the inputting information relating to the VR environment comprises environment information obtained from the audio/video recordings of the human subject, photographic images of the human subject, and social media feeds of the human subject.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising morphing the VR environment to the requested time in the past based on the audio/video recordings of the human subject, photographic images of the human subject, social media feeds of the human subject relating to the requested time in the past.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising changing the real-world events based on a Markov chain and morphing the avatar based on the changed real-world events.

9. A computer processor-based system for generating a personal avatar in a virtual reality (VR) environment, comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media;

program instructions, stored on the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media, which when implemented by the one or more processors, cause the computer system to perform the steps of;

inputting, by the processor-based system, personal characteristics information relating to a human subject, the personal characteristics information including audio/video recordings of the human subject, photographic images of the human subject, social media feeds of the human subject, physical abilities of the human subject and medical history of the human subject;

determining, by the processor-based system, avatar personal characteristics from the personal characteristics information and storing the avatar personal characteristics in an avatar personal characteristics table;

inputting, by the processor-based system, information relating to a VR environment in which avatars interact and information relating to real-world events;

generating, by the processor-based system, an avatar of the human subject based on the avatar personal characteristics;

presenting, by the processor-based system, the generated avatar of the human subject to the user in the VR environment, wherein the generated avatar of the human subject comprises the determined avatar personal characteristics;

receiving, by the processor-based system, a first communication from the user, the communication requesting the avatar to appear in one of a time in the past and a time in the future;

presenting, by the processor-based system, the avatar of the human subject morphed to the requested time in the past based on interpolating the personal characteristics information stored in the avatar personal characteristics table;

formulating, by the processor-based system, a response to a received second communication, based on the determined expressionable ideas and the real-world events;

presenting, by the processor-based system to the user, the morphed avatar of the human subject speaking the response, with the avatar speaking with morphed voice, and morphed speech behavior, appearing with morphed appearance, and moving with morphed movement behavior and morphed physical agility,

wherein the avatar morphed to a time in the past being restricted from speaking a response inconsistent with the real-world events.

10. The computer processor-based system of claim 9, wherein the avatar personal characteristics comprise one or more of:

appearance simulating the human subject, voice simulating the human subject, movement behavior that is characteristic of the human subject, speech behavior that is characteristic of the human subject, physical agility that is characteristic of the human subject, and expressionable ideas that are characteristic of the human subject.

11. The computer processor-based system of claim 9, further comprising presenting by the processor-based system the avatar of the human subject morphed to the requested time in the future based on extrapolating the personal characteristics information stored in the avatar personal characteristics table.

12. The computer processor-based system of claim 11, wherein the avatar morphed to a future time is based on the extrapolation of one or more of the physical abilities of the human subject, physical activity history of the human subject and medical history of the human subject.

13. The computer processor-based system of claim 9, wherein the inputting of the physical abilities of the human subject is based on movement of a wand by the human subject in reaction to real world stimuli or VR stimuli.

14. The computer processor-based system of claim 9, wherein the inputting information relating to the VR environment comprises environment information obtained from the audio/video recordings of the human subject, photographic images of the human subject, and social media feeds of the human subject.

15. The computer processor-based system of claim 9, further comprising morphing the VR environment to the requested time in the past based on the audio/video recordings of the human subject, photographic images of the human subject, social media feeds of the human subject relating to the requested time in the past.

16. The computer processor-based system of claim 9 further comprising changing the real-world events based on a Markov chain and morphing the avatar based on the changed real-world events.

17. A computer program product comprising:

program instructions on a computer-readable storage medium, where execution of the program instructions using a computer causes the computer to perform a method for generating a personal avatar in a virtual reality (VR) environment, comprising;

inputting, by the processor-based system, personal characteristics information relating to a human subject, the personal characteristics information including audio/video recordings of the human subject, photographic images of the human subject, social media feeds of the human subject, physical abilities of the human subject and medical history of the human subject;

determining, by the processor-based system, avatar personal characteristics from the personal characteristics information and storing the avatar personal characteristics in an avatarpersonal characteristics table;

inputting, by the processor-based system, information relating to a VR environment in which avatars interact and information relating to real-world events;

generating, by the processor-based system, an avatar of the human subject based on the avatar personal characteristics;

presenting, by the processor-based system, the generated avatar of the human subject to the user in the VR environment, wherein the generated avatar of the human subject comprises the determined avatar personal characteristics,

receiving, by the processor-based system, a first communication from the user, the communication requesting the avatar to appear in one of a time in the past and a time in the future;

presenting, by the processor-based system, the avatar of the human subject morphed to the requested time in the past based on interpolating the personal characteristics information stored in the avatarpersonal characteristics table;

formulating, by the processor-based system, a response to a received second communication, based on the determined expressionable ideas and the real-world events;

presenting, by the processor-based system to the user, the morphed avatar of the human subject speaking the response, with the avatar speaking with morphed voice, and morphed speech behavior, appearing with morphed appearance, and moving with morphed movement behavior and morphed physical agility,

wherein the avatar morphed to a time in the past being restricted from speaking a response inconsistent with the real-world events.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the avatar personal characteristics comprise one or more of:

appearance simulating the human subject, voice simulating the human subject, movement behavior that is characteristic of the human subject, speech behavior that is characteristic of the human subject, physical agility that is characteristic of the human subject, and expressionable ideas that are characteristic of the human subject.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising presenting by the processor-based system the avatar of the human subject morphed to the requested time in the future based on extrapolating the personal characteristics information stored in the avatar personal characteristics table.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the avatar morphed to a future time is based on the extrapolation of one or more of the physical abilities of the human subject, physical activity history of the human subject and medical history of the human subject.