Avatar individualized by physical characteristic

• US 8,612,363 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Karkanias, Chris Demetrios, Van Hoof, Hubert, Ray, Kenneth D., Gounares, Alexander G., Horvitz, Eric J., Choing, Hong L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): COUGHLAN, PETER D
• Application Number:
  US12/137,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20090309891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 706/11
• 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, executed by a computing device, of interacting with a virtual environment, the method comprising:

accessing physical characteristic data nonvolitionally obtained from a user, the physical characteristic data including a sensor data portion sensed from the user, a demographic data portion pertaining to a demographic of the user and a healthcare information portion pertaining to a health of the user;

determining a trustworthiness of the healthcare information;

analyzing the sensor data portion, the demographic data portion and the healthcare information portion;

inferring a median health status of the user based in part on the analyzing and the trustworthiness;

assigning an attribute corresponding to the median health status to an avatar identified for the user; and

adjusting, by the computing device, a performance of the avatar within a virtual environment as constrained by the assigned attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing, via a network, a health information repository to obtain at least a subset of the healthcare information portion.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing a health information smart card to obtain at least a subset of the healthcare information portion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving physiological data sensed from the user, wherein the sensor data portion includes the physiological data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving the physiological data selected from a group consisting of heart rate, flow rate, blood pressure, blood glucose level, weight, and electroencephalogram.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving exercise data for the user, wherein the sensor data portion includes the exercise data.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising detecting a pedometer recording, wherein the exercise data includes the pedometer recording.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising detecting the exercise data that includes an elevated heart rate over a period of time.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising rewarding the median health status by enhancing performance of an avatar in a gaming virtual environment.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising rewarding the median health status by increasing time allotted for interaction with a gaming virtual environment.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising rewarding the median health status by unlocking a portion of a gaming virtual environment.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a psychological state of the user, wherein the sensor data portion includes the physiological state.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising detecting the psychological state selected from a group consisting of alertness, truth telling, and mood.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the median health status on a portable indicator.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying the median health status on a Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) display worn by the user.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a color indication on a display worn on a finger.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a graphical indication on a display worn on a wrist.

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

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

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting an assigned attribute of the avatar in compensation for a subjectively successful goal attainment associated with the median health status.

21. One or more computer-readable hardware storage devices storing computer-executable instructions that, upon execution by one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

accessing physical characteristic data nonvolitionally obtained from a user, the physical characteristic data including health information pertaining to the user, the health information including a portion obtained from multiple information repositories accessible over a network;

determining a trustworthiness of the health information;

determining a, degree of health of the user based In part on the trustworthiness of the health information; and

assigning an attribute corresponding to the degree of health to an avatar identified for the user, a performance of the avatar being adjusted based in part on the degree of health; and

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

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

memory;

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory;

modules stored on the memory and executed by the one or more processors, the modules configured to;

receive physical characteristic data nonvolitionally obtained from a user from an information source, the physical characteristic data including a healthcare information portion, wherein the healthcare information portion includes healthcare data obtained from multiple information repositories accessible over a network;

determine a trustworthiness of the healthcare data obtained from the multiple information repositories;

analyze the physical characteristic data; and

infer a level of health of the user based at least in part on the analysis of the physical characteristic data and the determined trustworthiness;

assign an attribute corresponding to the level of health to an avatar identified for the user; and

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

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the information source comprises a health information source.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to obtain at least a subset of the healthcare information portion from a health information smart card.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to obtain at least a subset of the physical characteristic data from a physiological sensor responsive to the user.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the physiological sensor senses physiological data selected from a group consisting of heart rate, flow rate, blood pressure, blood glucose level, weight, and electroencephalogram.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, the modules further configured to obtain at least a subset of the physical characteristic data from an exercise data sensor.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the exercise data sensor is configured to sense a pedometer recording.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the exercise data sensor is configured to sense an elevated heart rate over a period of time.

30. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to reward the level of health by enhancing performance of an avatar in a gaming virtual environment.

31. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to reward the level of health by increasing time allotted for interaction with a gaming virtual environment.

32. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to reward the level of health by unlocking a portion of a gaming virtual environment.

33. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to obtain a psychological state of the user from a psychological sensor, wherein the physical characteristic data includes the psychological state.

34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the psychological sensor is responsive to the psychological state selected from a group consisting of alertness, truth telling, and mood.

35. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to display the level of health on a portable indicator.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, the modules further configured to display the level of health on a Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) display worn by the user.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, the modules further configured to display a color indication corresponding to the level of health on a display worn on a finger.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, the modules further configured to graphically depict the level of health on a display worn on a wrist.

39. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the physical characteristic data includes a demographic category of the user.

40. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to adjust an assigned attribute of the avatar in compensation for a disability.

41. The apparatus of claim 22, the modules further configured to adjust an assigned attribute of the avatar in compensation for a subjectively successful goal attainment associated with the level of health.

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

memory;

one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory;

modules stored on the memory and executed by the one or more processors, the modules configured to;

receive health information nonvolitionally obtained from a user, the information sources including a physiological sensor that provides physiological information, a networked healthcare information repository that provides healthcare information, and a demographic data component that provides demographic information;

determine a trustworthiness of the healthcare information obtained from the healthcare information repository;

analyze the physiological information, the healthcare information and the demographic information;

infer a median health status of the user based in part on the analysis of the physiological information and the determined trustworthiness;

assign a performance attribute corresponding to the median health status to an avatar identified for the user; and

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