AVATAR INDIVIDUALIZED BY PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC

• US 20090309891A1
• Filed: 06/12/2008
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Karkanias, Chris Demetrios, Ray, Kenneth D., Choing, Hong L., Horvitz, Eric J., Van Hoof, Hubert, Gounares, Alexander G.
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/581
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/55 Details of game data or player data management
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An avatar generator for a virtual environment reflects a physiological characteristic of the user, injecting a degree of reality into the capabilities or appearance. Thereby, many of the incentives of the real world are replicated in a virtual environment. Physiological data that reflect a degree of health of the real person can be linked to rewards of capabilities of a gaming avatar, an amount of time budgeted to play, or a visible indication. Thereby, people are encouraged to exercise. Physiological data that reflect the health and perhaps also mood also improve social interaction in virtual environments. People seeking to meet and become acquainted with particular types of people are not thwarted by the artificiality of avatars. The physiological data can be gleaned from a third party health data collection repository, a healthcare smart card, a real-time physiological sensor (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, peak flow, pedometer, etc.)

Claims

1. A method of interacting with a virtual environment, comprising:

accessing a physical characteristic nonvolitionally obtained from a user;

assigning an attribute corresponding to the physical characteristic to an avatar identified for the user; and

facilitating user interaction with a virtual environment via the avatar as constrained by the assigned attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the physical characteristic comprises accessing health information pertaining to the user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising accessing a health information repository.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising accessing a health information smart card.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving physiological data sensed from the user.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving physiological data selected from a group consisting of heart rate, flow rate, blood pressure, blood glucose level, weight, and electroencephalogram.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving exercise data for the user.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising detecting a pedometer recording.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising detecting an elevated heart rate over a period of time.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising rewarding a level of health based on the health information by enhancing performance of an avatar in a gaming virtual environment.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising rewarding a level of health based on the health information by increasing time allotted for interaction with a gaming virtual environment.

12. The method of claim 2, further comprising rewarding a level of health based on the health information by unlocking a portion of a gaming virtual environment.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a psychological state of the user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising detecting a psychological state selected from a group consisting of alertness, truth telling, and mood.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the physical characteristic on a portable indicator.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying the physical characteristic on a Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) display worn by the user.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying a color indication on a display worn on a finger.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying a graphical indication on a display worn on a wrist.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning an attribute to the avatar pertaining to a demographic category of the user.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting an assigned attribute of the avatar in compensation for a disability.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting an assigned attribute of the avatar in compensation for a subjectively assigned goal attainment associated with the physical characteristic.

22. A computer program product for interacting with a virtual environment, comprising:

a computer-readable medium, comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to access a physical characteristic nonvolitionally obtained from a user;

a second set of codes causing the computer to assign an attribute corresponding to the physical characteristic to an avatar identified for the user; and

a third set of codes for causing the computer to facilitate user interaction with a virtual environment via the avatar as constrained by the assigned attribute.

23. An apparatus for interacting with a virtual environment, comprising:

an information source accessible for receiving a physical characteristic nonvolitionally obtained from a user;

an avatar generation component for assigning an attribute corresponding to the physical characteristic to an avatar identified for the user; and

a computing environment facilitating user interaction with a virtual environment via the avatar as constrained by the assigned attribute.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the information source comprises a health information source.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a health information repository accessible over a network to receive health information about the user.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a health information smart card.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a physiological sensor responsive to the user.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising the physiological sensor sensing physiological data selected from a group consisting of heart rate, flow rate, blood pressure, blood glucose level, weight, and electroencephalogram.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising an exercise data recording for the user.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising a pedometer recording.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, further comprising an exercise recording of an elevated heart rate over a period of time.

32. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising the computing environment rewarding a level of health based on the health information by enhancing performance of an avatar in a gaming virtual environment.

33. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising the computing environment rewarding a level of health based on the health information by increasing time allotted for interaction with a gaming virtual environment.

34. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising the computing environment rewarding a level of health based on the health information by unlocking a portion of a gaming virtual environment.

35. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a psychological sensor responsive to a psychological state of the user.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising a psychological sensor responsive to a psychological state selected from a group consisting of alertness, truth telling, and mood.

37. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a portable indicator for displaying the physical characteristic.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising a Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) display worn by the user for displaying the physical characteristic.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a display worn on a finger for displaying a color indication corresponding to the physical characteristic.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising a display worn on a wrist for graphically depicting the physical characteristic.

41. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising assigning an attribute to the avatar pertaining to a demographic category of the user.

42. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising adjusting an assigned attribute of the avatar in compensation for a disability.

43. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising adjusting an assigned attribute of the avatar in compensation for a subjectively assigned goal attainment associated with the physical characteristic.

44. An apparatus for interacting with a virtual gaming environment, comprising:

an information source accessible for receiving a health information nonvolitionally obtained from a user selected from at least two of a group consisting of a physiological sensor, a networked healthcare information repository, and a healthcare smart card;

an avatar generation component for assigning a performance attribute corresponding to the health information characteristic to an avatar identified for the user; and

a computing environment facilitating user interaction with a virtual gaming environment via the avatar as constrained by the assigned performance attribute.