Systems and methods for virtual environment construction for behavioral research

• US 10,600,066 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2019
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Frost Ventures, LLC
• Original Assignee: 20/20 IP, LLC
• Inventors: Rogers, Isaac David, Bryson, James Edward, Harlan, Kathryn Kersey
• Primary Examiner(s): Knox, Tyler W
• Application Number:
  US16/512,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20190354999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/197 Matching; Classification

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide methods, mediums, and systems for behavioral research. In some embodiments, a simulated environment may be created. The simulated environment may be displayed to a user on a proprietary display device which utilizes a proprietary data format for storing the simulated environment. Multiple different types of proprietary devices may be supported by providing a hardware agnostic canvas and translation logic. The hardware agnostic canvas may be stored in a neutral format that is not specific to a proprietary display device. The translation logic may translate the hardware agnostic canvas into a format that is interpretably by a proprietary display device, and may translate data gathered from the proprietary display device into a hardware neutral format for further analysis.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring behaviors of a participant during a virtual reality environment simulation, the system comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing

a hardware-agnostic canvas for a virtual reality environment, wherein the hardware-agnostic canvas comprises a database of objects in the virtual reality environment and coordinates for locating the objects at a location in the virtual reality environment, and

trigger information relating to a threshold and a survey question that may be triggered, and

translation logic for translating the hardware-agnostic canvas into a viewer-specific format;

a viewer device configured to present the virtual reality environment to the participant; and

a processor in communication with the storage medium, the processor being programmed to

track a gaze location with an attention tracking module,

as a function of the gaze location, calculate an attention score for one or more objects in the database of objects; and

when the attention score exceeds the threshold, trigger presentation of the survey question.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object in the virtual reality environment is a function of the amount of time the gaze location matches the coordinates of the particular object.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object in the virtual reality environment is a function of the number of times the gaze location matches the coordinates of the particular object.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object in the virtual reality environment is a function of the distance between the gaze location and the coordinates of the particular object.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the objects comprise:

setting objects for defining the virtual reality environment and

environment objects representing objects of interest in a study.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the attention tracking module collects gaze data regarding an amount of time spent with the gaze location matching each of the environment objects.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the translation logic translates the gaze data collected by the attention tracking module into a hardware-agnostic format.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the storage medium further stores translation mapping information, the translation mapping information comprising display information for a plurality of different types of viewer devices, and

the translation logic accesses the translation mapping information to translate the hardware-agnostic canvas into the viewer-specific format suitable for the viewer device in real time during the virtual reality environment simulation.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the hardware-agnostic canvas comprises vector image data for rendering an object of the hardware-agnostic canvas in the virtual reality environment.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

manipulate, in real time, a hardware-agnostic canvas for a virtual reality environment, wherein;

the hardware-agnostic canvas comprises a database of objects to be placed in the virtual reality environment, and

the database further comprises trigger information relating to a threshold and a survey question that may be triggered;

apply translation logic to translate the hardware-agnostic canvas into a viewer-specific format,

transmit virtual reality environment information in the viewer-specific format to a viewer;

track a gaze location with an attention tracking module,

as a function of the gaze location, calculate an attention score for one or more objects in the database of objects; and

when the attention score exceeds the threshold, trigger presentation of the survey question.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object in the virtual reality environment is a function of the amount of time the gaze location matches the coordinates of the particular object.

12. The medium of claim 10, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object in the virtual reality environment is a function of the number of times the gaze location matches the coordinates of the particular object.

13. The medium of claim 10, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object is a function of the distance between the gaze location and the coordinates of the particular object.

14. The medium of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

access translation mapping information, the translation mapping information comprising display information for a plurality of different types of viewers, and

using the translation mapping information to translate the hardware-agnostic canvas into the viewer-specific format.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the hardware-agnostic canvas is translated into the viewer-specific format in real time as a viewer displays the virtual reality environment.

16. A method, comprising the steps of:

accessing, using a processor of an electronic device, a hardware-agnostic canvas for a virtual reality environment, wherein the hardware-agnostic canvas comprises;

a plurality of objects to be placed in the virtual reality environment,

coordinates for locating the objects in the virtual reality environment,

trigger information relating to a threshold, and

a survey question that may be triggered;

tracking a participant'"'"'s gaze location with an attention tracking module;

as a function of the gaze location, calculating an attention score in relation to a target object in the database of objects; and

when the attention score exceeds the threshold, trigger presentation of the survey question.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the tracking comprises:

tracking the gaze location relative to the target object with;

first eye-tracking hardware in a virtual reality headset;

second eye-tracking hardware in the attention tracking module; and

receiving data, at a server, based on data output by the first and second eye-tracking hardware, sufficient to determine the gaze location relative to the target object.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object in the virtual reality environment is a function of the amount of time the gaze location matches the coordinates of the particular object.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object in the virtual reality environment is a function of the number of times the gaze location matches the coordinates of the particular object.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the calculation of the attention score for a particular object in the virtual reality environment is a function of the distance between the gaze location and the coordinates of the particular object.