PHYSICAL-VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT INTERFACE

• US 20100125799A1
• Filed: 11/20/2008
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ducheneaut, Nicolas B., Roberts, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,266,536 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/757
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• 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

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and computer-program products are disclosed for automatically interfacing a first physical environment and a second physical environment to a virtual world model where some avatar controller piloting commands are automatically issued by a virtual world client to a virtual world server responsive to the focus of the avatar controller.

Claims

1. A computer-controlled method for automatically interfacing a first physical environment and a second physical environment to a virtual world model, said virtual world model including a first avatar representing a first avatar controller in said first physical environment, a second avatar representing a second avatar controller in said second physical environment, and a third avatar representing a third avatar controller, said first physical environment including a gaze-tracker and a first viewport, said second physical environment including a second viewport, said first avatar and said second avatar including a first avatar eye and a second avatar eye respectively, said method comprising:

detecting, within said first physical environment, a gaze from said first avatar controller to a target;

determining which of said second avatar or said third avatar is associated with said target; and

automatically emitting a focus-on piloting command to said virtual world model, said focus-on piloting command configured to aim said first avatar eye to said second avatar or said third avatar in said virtual world model responsive to determining.

2. The computer-controlled method of claim 1, wherein said third avatar controller is located within said first physical environment and said target is said third avatar controller, said method further comprising:

presenting a representation of said first avatar eye and a representation of said third avatar on said second viewport to indicate that said gaze is aimed at said third avatar controller.

3. The computer-controlled method of claim 1, wherein said target is an avatar representation of said second avatar presented on said first viewport and said third avatar controller is within a third physical environment that includes a third viewport, said method further comprising:

presenting a representation of said first avatar eye and a representation of said second avatar on said third viewport to indicate that said gaze is aimed at said avatar representation on said first viewport.

4. The computer-controlled method of claim 1, wherein said target is an avatar representation of said second avatar presented on said first viewport, said method further comprising:

presenting a representation of said first avatar eye on said second viewport to indicate that said first avatar eye is aimed at said second avatar controller.

5. The computer-controlled method of claim 1, wherein said first physical environment further comprises a body-part tracker, said method further comprising:

tracking a body-part of said first avatar controller by said body-part tracker;

automatically emitting a body-part-position piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to tracking; and

positioning a corresponding body-part of said first avatar in said virtual world model responsive to said body-part-position piloting command.

6. The computer-controlled method of claim 1, wherein said first physical environment further comprises a face-tracker, said first avatar controller having a face, and said first avatar having a mask, said method further comprising:

tracking said face,

detecting a facial distortion of said face;

automatically emitting an expression piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to detecting; and

altering said mask responsive to said expression piloting command.

7. The computer-controlled method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a gaze from said third avatar controller to a second target; and

automatically emitting a second focus-on piloting command to said virtual world model, said second focus-on piloting command configured to aim a third avatar eye at a virtual object that represents said second target in said virtual world model.

8. An apparatus having a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory coupled to said CPU for automatically interfacing a first physical environment to a virtual world model, said virtual world model including a first avatar representing a first avatar controller in said first physical environment, a second avatar representing a second avatar controller, and a third avatar representing a third avatar controller, said first avatar and said second avatar including a first avatar eye and a second avatar eye respectively, said apparatus comprising:

a network connection logic configured to communicate with said virtual world model;

a machine vision system logic configured to enable monitoring of one or more real-world objects in said first physical environment, said memory configured to maintain a local physical environment model of said first physical environment responsive to the machine vision system logic, the machine vision system logic further configured to enable a gaze-tracker, said gaze-tracker configured to detect a gaze from said first avatar controller to a target;

a target determination logic configured to determine which of said second avatar or said third avatar is associated with said target; and

a pilot logic configured to automatically emit a focus-on piloting command over the network connection logic to said virtual world model, said focus-on piloting command configured to aim said first avatar eye to said second avatar or said third avatar in said virtual world model responsive to the target determination logic.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said third avatar controller is within said first physical environment and the target determination logic detects said third avatar controller to be said target, wherein the target determination logic includes an association logic configured to associate said third avatar controller with the third avatar.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said virtual world model includes a virtual gaze object from said second avatar to said third avatar, and said local physical environment model is also responsive to said virtual world model, said apparatus further comprising:

a viewport logic configured to drive a first viewport in said first physical environment responsive to said local physical environment model and configured to present a representation of said second avatar eye and a representation of said third avatar on said first viewport responsive to said virtual gaze object.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said local physical environment model is also responsive to said virtual world model, said apparatus further comprising:

a viewport logic configured to drive a first viewport in said first physical environment responsive to said local physical environment model and configured to present an avatar representation of said second avatar, and wherein the target determination logic is further configured to detect from said gaze that said avatar representation is said target, and wherein the target determination logic includes an association logic configured to associate said avatar representation with said second avatar.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said local physical environment model is also responsive to said virtual world model, said virtual world model including a virtual gaze object from said second avatar to said first avatar, said apparatus further comprising:

a viewport logic configured to drive a first viewport in said first physical environment responsive to said local physical environment model and configured to present an avatar representation of said second avatar, said avatar representation including a representation of said second avatar eye, and wherein said local physical environment model is configured to orient said representation of said second avatar eye toward the first avatar controller in the first physical environment.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the machine vision system logic further comprises a body-part tracker configured to track a body-part of said first avatar controller and wherein the pilot logic is configured to automatically emit a body-part-position piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to the body-part tracker.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said first avatar controller has a face, and said first avatar has a mask, and the machine vision system logic further comprises a face-tracker configured to track said face, the machine vision system logic further comprising a facial distortion logic configured to detect a facial distortion of said face, and wherein the pilot logic is configured to automatically emit an expression piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to the facial distortion logic.

15. A computer-program product for automatically interfacing a first physical environment and a second physical environment to a virtual world model, said virtual world model including a first avatar representing a first avatar controller in said first physical environment, a second avatar representing a second avatar controller in said second physical environment, and a third avatar representing a third avatar controller, said first physical environment including a gaze-tracker and a first viewport, said second physical environment including a second viewport, said first avatar and said second avatar including a first avatar eye and a second avatar eye respectively, comprising:

a computer-usable data carrier providing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause said computer to perform a method comprising;

detecting, within said first physical environment, a gaze from said first avatar controller to a target;

determining which of said second avatar or said third avatar is associated with said target; and

automatically emitting a focus-on piloting command to said virtual world model, said focus-on piloting command configured to aim said first avatar eye to said second avatar or said third avatar in said virtual world model responsive to determining.

16. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein said third avatar controller is located within said first physical environment and said target is said third avatar controller, said product further comprising:

presenting a representation of said first avatar eye and a representation of said third avatar on said second viewport to indicate that said gaze is aimed at said third avatar controller.

17. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein said target is an avatar representation of said second avatar presented on said first viewport and said third avatar controller is within a third physical environment that includes a third viewport, said product further comprising:

presenting a representation of said first avatar eye and a representation of said second avatar on said third viewport to indicate that said gaze is aimed at said avatar representation on said first viewport.

18. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein said first physical environment further comprises a body-part tracker, said product further comprising:

tracking a body-part of said first avatar controller by said body-part tracker;

automatically emitting a body-part-position piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to tracking; and

positioning a corresponding body-part of said first avatar in said virtual world model responsive to said body-part-position piloting command.

19. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein said first physical environment further comprises a face-tracker, said first avatar controller having a face, and said first avatar having a mask, said product further comprising:

tracking said face,

detecting a facial distortion of said face;

automatically emitting an expression piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to detecting; and

altering said mask responsive to said expression piloting command.

20. The computer-program product of claim 15, further comprising:

detecting a gaze from said third avatar controller to a second target; and

automatically emitting a second focus-on piloting command to said virtual world model, said second focus-on piloting command configured to aim a third avatar eye at a virtual object that represents said second target in said virtual world model.