Motion-exaggerated virtual reality ride system and method

Abstract

A technique for improving a ride experience provided by a virtual reality ride system, the virtual reality ride system comprising: an electronic display that presents virtual reality image content to a rider of a ride vehicle; a sensor that measures sensor data indicative of movement characteristics of the ride vehicle; and virtual reality processing circuitry. The virtual reality processing circuitry: determines a predicted movement profile for the ride vehicle based on the sensor data, wherein the predicted movement profile indicates that the ride vehicle is expected to move a predicted movement magnitude during a predicted movement duration; determines a target-perceived movement magnitude that is greater than the predicted movement magnitude by applying a movement exaggeration factor to the predicted movement magnitude; and determines the movement-exaggerated virtual reality image content to be presented on the electronic display at least in part by adapting default virtual reality image content to incorporate the target-perceived movement magnitude.

Description

Background Art

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to ride systems, and more particularly to virtual reality (VR) ride systems that are implemented and / or operated to exaggerate physical motion (e.g., movement) experienced by a rider (e.g., user) to facilitate providing a more exciting ride experience.

[0002] This section is intended to introduce technical aspects that may be relevant to the technology of the present disclosure, which are described and / or claimed below. This discussion is considered to be helpful in providing background information to facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that this section should be read from this perspective, rather than as an admission of the prior art.

[0003] Ride systems (such as roller coaster ride systems) are usually deployed in amusement parks, theme parks, carnivals, fairs and / or similar places. In general, the ride system includes a ride environment and one or more ride vehicles that are implemented and / or operated to carry (e.g., support) one or more riders through the ride environment. For example, a roller coaster ride system may include a track ride environment and a car ride vehicle. As another example, a lazy river ride system may include a pool ride environment and an inner tube ride vehicle. In order to facilitate providing a more exciting and / or different (e.g., simulated) ride experience, the ride system may be implemented and / or operated to present virtual reality content to its riders. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] Various aspects of the present disclosure may be better understood upon reading the detailed description, and upon referring to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0005] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a virtual reality ride system including a virtual reality subsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0006] Figure 2 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 Examples of virtual reality ride systems;

[0007] Figure 3 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 Another example of a virtual reality ride system;

[0008] Figure 4 According to the embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 A graphical representation of an example of a ride vehicle motion prediction model used by a virtual reality ride system;

[0009] Figure 5According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 1 A flowchart of an exemplary process of a virtual reality subsystem;

[0010] Figure 6 is a flow chart of an exemplary process for generating motion exaggerated virtual reality content according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 7 is communicatively coupled to an embodiment of the present disclosure Figure 1 A block diagram of an example of a design apparatus for a virtual reality subsystem; and

[0012] Figure 8 According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 7 A flow chart of an exemplary process for designing a device. Summary of the invention

[0013] The following is an overview of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood that these aspects are merely presented to provide the reader with a brief overview of these certain embodiments, and these aspects are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In fact, the present disclosure may include various aspects that may not be illustrated below.

[0014] In an embodiment, a virtual reality ride system includes: an electronic display that presents virtual reality image content to a rider while the rider is being carried through a ride environment by a ride vehicle; one or more sensors that determine sensor data indicative of movement characteristics of the ride vehicle in the ride environment; and virtual reality processing circuitry that is communicatively coupled to the electronic display and the one or more sensors. The virtual reality processing circuitry: determines a predicted movement profile of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the sensor data received from the one or more sensors, wherein the predicted movement profile indicates that the ride vehicle is expected to move a predicted movement magnitude during a predicted movement duration; determines a target perceived movement magnitude greater than the predicted movement magnitude at least in part by applying a movement exaggeration factor to the predicted movement magnitude; and determines movement-exaggerated virtual reality image content to be presented on the electronic display during the predicted movement duration at least in part by adapting default virtual reality image content to incorporate the target perceived movement magnitude.

[0015] In an embodiment, a method of operating a virtual reality ride system includes: receiving, using processing circuitry implemented in the virtual reality ride system, sensor data determined by one or more sensors while a ride vehicle is moving through a ride environment of the virtual reality ride system; predicting, using the processing circuitry, a magnitude of movement that the ride vehicle will experience at a time during a prediction horizon based at least in part on the sensor data received from the one or more sensors; applying, using the processing circuitry, one or more movement exaggeration factors to the magnitude of movement that the ride vehicle is predicted to experience at the time during the prediction horizon to determine a target-perceived magnitude of movement that is different than the magnitude of movement that the ride vehicle is predicted to experience; and adapting, using the processing circuitry, default virtual reality content corresponding to the time during the prediction horizon based at least in part on the target-perceived magnitude of movement to determine movement-exaggerated virtual reality content to be presented to an occupant of the ride vehicle at the time.

[0016] In an embodiment, a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions executable by one or more processors of a virtual reality ride system. The instructions include instructions to: determine, using the one or more processors, sensor data measured by one or more sensors while a ride vehicle is carrying a rider through a ride environment of the virtual reality ride system; determine, using the one or more processors, a predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle predicted to occur during a subsequent time period based at least in part on the sensor data measured by the one or more sensors; and determine, using the one or more processors, motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content based at least in part on the predicted magnitude of movement, such that presentation of the motion-exaggerated virtual reality image to the rider results in a perceived magnitude of movement that is different than the predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below. These described embodiments are merely examples of the presently disclosed technology. In addition, in order to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of the actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, many implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals that may vary from implementation to implementation, such as compliance with system-related constraints and business-related constraints. In addition, it should be appreciated that such development efforts may be complex and time-consuming, but for ordinary technicians who benefit from the present disclosure, such development efforts may be nothing more than routine tasks of design, production, and manufacturing.

[0018] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles "a," "an," and "the" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive, and mean that there may be additional elements in addition to the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

[0019] Ride systems are typically deployed at amusement parks, theme parks, carnivals, fairs, and / or similar locations. In general, a ride system includes a ride environment and one or more ride vehicles that are implemented and / or operated to carry (e.g., support) one or more riders through the ride environment. For example, a lazy river ride system may include a pool ride environment and one or more inner tube ride vehicles. As another example, a log flow flume ride system may include a flume ride environment and one or more artificial log ride vehicles. As another example, a boat ride system may include a body of water ride environment and one or more boat ride vehicles. Therefore, the physical (e.g., actual and / or real) movement (e.g., motion) of a rider on a ride system may generally depend on the movement of the ride vehicle that carries the rider.

[0020] To facilitate providing a more exciting and / or different (e.g., simulated) ride experience, a ride system may be implemented and / or operated to present virtual reality (VR) content to its riders. For example, a virtual reality ride system may be implemented and / or operated to artificially generate one or more sensory stimuli, such as audio (e.g., sound) stimuli, tactile (e.g., haptic) stimuli, and / or visual (e.g., optical) stimuli. To facilitate artificially generating visual stimuli, a virtual reality ride system may include one or more electronic displays, such as a vehicle display and / or a head-mounted display, that are implemented and / or operated to display (e.g., present) virtual reality image content.

[0021] In general, visual stimuli are perceived by a person's visual system. In fact, at least in some instances, changes in aspects of perceived visual stimuli that occur over time can enable a person to detect motion (e.g., movement). For example, when a perceived visual stimulus translates to the left over time, a person can perceive (e.g., determine and / or detect) that he / she is moving to the right relative to the perceived visual stimulus, or vice versa. Additionally or alternatively, when a perceived visual stimulus translates upward over time, a person can perceive that he / she is moving downward relative to the perceived visual stimulus, or vice versa.

[0022] The person's movement may additionally or alternatively be sensed by the person's vestibular system (e.g., inner ear). In other words, at least in some instances, the person's movement may be sensed by the person's vestibular system as well as by the person's visual system. However, at least in some instances, a mismatch between the movement sensed by the person's vestibular system and the movement sensed by the person's visual system may cause the person to experience motion sickness.

[0023] In other words, in at least some instances, when visually perceived movement does not match movement perceived by the vestibular system of the rider, the rider on the virtual reality ride system may experience motion sickness, which affects the ride experience (e.g., reduces the ride experience and / or degrades the ride experience). As described above, the ride vehicle may carry the rider through the ride environment of the virtual reality ride system, and, thus, the rider's movement may be at least partially dependent on the movement of the ride vehicle. Thus, to facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness, the virtual reality ride system may coordinate virtual reality content with the physical ride vehicle movement. For example, the virtual reality ride system may display virtual reality image content that is expected to result in characteristics (such as magnitude, timing, duration, and / or direction) of visually perceived movement that match corresponding characteristics of movement perceived by the vestibular system of the rider.

[0024] In other words, to facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness, in some instances, the virtual reality ride system may generate virtual reality image content based at least in part on characteristics of physical (e.g., actual and / or real) movement of the ride vehicle and, thus, the riders carried by the ride vehicle. For example, when the ride vehicle moves by an amplitude of five meters in an upward direction, the virtual reality ride system may present virtual reality image content that is expected to cause the riders to visually perceive the movement of five meters upward. However, at least in some instances, implementing the virtual reality ride system in this manner may limit the amplitude of movement (e.g., distance) visually perceived from the virtual reality content, and, thus, the excitement (e.g., thrill) provided by the virtual reality ride system, to the amplitude of the physical movement. In other words, at least in some instances, presenting virtual reality content that results in an exact match of the amplitude of the perceived movement may limit the excitement, and, thus, the ride experience provided by the virtual reality ride system.

[0025] Therefore, to facilitate an improved ride experience, the present disclosure provides techniques for implementing and / or operating a virtual reality ride system to present virtual reality content that exaggerates (e.g., enlarges and / or magnifies) a ride vehicle and, thus, the physical movement (e.g., motion) being experienced by a rider being carried by the ride vehicle. To facilitate providing a virtual reality ride experience, a virtual reality ride system may include a virtual reality subsystem implemented and / or operated to generate virtual reality content, such as virtual reality image content to be presented (e.g., displayed) on an electronic display. The virtual reality subsystem may additionally be implemented and / or operated to present the virtual reality content, such as by displaying the virtual reality image content on an electronic display based, at least in part, on corresponding image data.

[0026] As described above, to facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness, a virtual reality ride system may present virtual reality content to a rider of a ride vehicle such that movement perceived from the virtual reality content is coordinated with physical (e.g., real and / or actual) movement of the ride vehicle. For example, to compensate for physical movement of the ride vehicle, the virtual reality ride system may generate and display virtual reality image content that causes visually perceived movement to occur at approximately the same time, for approximately the same duration, and / or in approximately the same direction as the physical movement of the ride vehicle. Indeed, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may generate movement-coordinated virtual reality content by adapting (e.g., adjusting), for example, default virtual reality content corresponding to a default (e.g., stationary and / or planned) ride vehicle movement profile.

[0027] To facilitate coordinating the presentation of virtual reality content with physical movement of a ride vehicle, a virtual reality ride system may include one or more sensors, such as vehicle sensors, rider (e.g., head mounted display) sensors, and / or environmental sensors. For example, a ride vehicle may include one or more vehicle sensors, such as gyroscopes and / or accelerometers, that are implemented and / or operated to sense (e.g., measure and / or determine) characteristics of movement of the ride vehicle, such as movement time, movement duration, movement direction (e.g., orientation), and / or movement magnitude (e.g., distance). As such, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may coordinate the presentation of virtual reality content with ride vehicle movement, at least in part, by presenting movement-coordinated virtual reality content at approximately the same time as sensor data indicating the occurrence of determining (e.g., sensing and / or measuring) movement of the ride vehicle.

[0028] However, at least in some instances, the generation and / or presentation (e.g., display) of virtual reality content is generally non-instantaneous. In other words, at least in some such instances, reactively generating and / or presenting virtual reality content may result in a delay in the presentation of motion-coordinated virtual reality content relative to corresponding ride vehicle movement. By way of illustrative, non-limiting example only, due to the non-instantaneous nature, reactively generating and / or presenting motion-coordinated virtual reality image content may result in the motion-coordinated virtual reality image content being displayed after corresponding ride vehicle movement has occurred, which may, at least in some instances, result in increased motion sickness.

[0029] Thus, to facilitate coordinating the presentation of movement-coordinated virtual reality content with corresponding ride vehicle movement, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may predict characteristics of ride vehicle movement within a prediction range (e.g., a subsequent time period), such as movement time, movement duration, movement direction, and / or movement magnitude. In other words, in such embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may determine a predicted ride vehicle movement profile (e.g., trajectory) within the prediction range. For example, the predicted ride vehicle movement profile may indicate that the corresponding ride vehicle moves a first distance (e.g., magnitude) in a first direction from a first time to a second (e.g., subsequent) time, moves a second distance in a second direction from a second time to a third (e.g., subsequent) time, and so on.

[0030] To facilitate determining the predicted ride vehicle movement profile, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may utilize a ride vehicle movement prediction model that describes an expected relationship between characteristics of ride vehicle movement and sensor data received, for example, from vehicle sensors deployed on the ride vehicle, passenger sensors associated with passengers, and / or environmental sensors deployed in the ride environment. Thus, in such embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may determine the predicted ride vehicle movement profile at least in part by supplying (e.g., inputting) sensor data to the ride vehicle movement prediction model. In some embodiments, the ride vehicle movement prediction model may additionally describe an expected relationship between characteristics of ride vehicle movement and one or more control commands for control operations of the ride vehicle. Further, in some embodiments, the ride vehicle movement prediction model may describe an expected relationship between characteristics of ride vehicle movement and a default (e.g., planned) movement profile for the ride vehicle.

[0031] The virtual reality ride system may preemptively (e.g., predictively) generate and / or present movement-coordinated virtual reality content based on a predicted ride vehicle movement profile (e.g., predicted ride vehicle movement characteristics over time). For example, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may generate and / or display movement-coordinated virtual reality image content, wherein a target display time is set to match a predicted movement time of the corresponding ride vehicle movement. Additionally, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may generate and / or display movement-coordinated virtual reality image content, wherein a target display duration is set to match a predicted movement duration of the corresponding ride vehicle movement. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may generate and / or display movement-coordinated virtual reality image content to produce a visually perceived movement direction that matches a predicted movement direction (e.g., orientation) of the corresponding ride vehicle movement. Additionally, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may generate and / or display movement-coordinated virtual reality image content based, at least in part, on a predicted movement magnitude (e.g., distance) of the corresponding ride vehicle movement.

[0032] In some embodiments, movement-coordinated virtual reality content may be presented to produce a perceived magnitude of movement that does not exactly match a predicted magnitude of movement (e.g., distance) of a corresponding ride vehicle movement. In other words, in such embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may generate movement-coordinated virtual reality content based on a target-perceived magnitude of movement that is different than the predicted magnitude of movement of the corresponding ride vehicle movement. For example, the target-perceived magnitude of ride vehicle movement may be greater than the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement to facilitate providing a more exciting and thus improved ride experience.

[0033] To facilitate determining a target perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude that is greater than a corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system may determine one or more motion exaggeration factors to be applied to the predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude. For example, the motion exaggeration factors may include one or more offset values ​​that, when applied, bias the target perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude relative to the predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude. Additionally or alternatively, the motion exaggeration factors may include one or more gain values ​​that, when applied, scale the target perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude relative to the predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude. However, presenting motion-coordinated virtual reality content generated based on a target perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude that is different from the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude may produce a mismatch between the perceived movement magnitudes, which may cause motion sickness and, thus, impact the ride experience provided by the virtual reality ride system (e.g., degrade the ride experience).

[0034] To facilitate an improved ride experience, in some embodiments, the values ​​of one or more movement exaggeration factors may be calibrated (e.g., tuned) via a calibration (e.g., tuning) process performed, for example, at least in part, offline by a design system and / or a design device in the design system. During the calibration process, in some embodiments, the design device may determine and evaluate one or more candidate movement exaggeration factors. For example, the candidate movement exaggeration factors may include a first candidate movement exaggeration factor having a maximum (e.g., first) value, a second candidate movement exaggeration factor having a next maximum (e.g., second) value, and so on.

[0035] To select a motion exaggeration factor from a plurality of candidates during the calibration process, in some embodiments, the design apparatus may sequentially (e.g., sequentially and / or continuously) evaluate whether the candidate motion exaggeration factors cause motion sickness, e.g., progressing from a maximum candidate motion exaggeration factor to a minimum candidate motion exaggeration factor. To help explain, continuing to refer to the example above, the design apparatus may evaluate whether a first candidate motion exaggeration factor having a maximum value of the candidates causes motion sickness, e.g., based on user input received from a user (e.g., a rider) presented with motion-exaggerated (e.g., coordinated) virtual reality content generated using the first candidate motion exaggeration factor. When not causing motion sickness, the design apparatus may select the first candidate as the motion exaggeration factor to be used by the virtual reality ride system to generate subsequent, motion-coordinated virtual reality content, e.g., by storing the first candidate in the virtual reality ride system.

[0036] When the first candidate motion exaggeration factor causes motion sickness, the design device may evaluate whether a second candidate motion exaggeration factor having the next largest value of the candidates causes motion sickness, for example, based on a user input received from a user presented with motion-exaggerated virtual reality content generated using the second candidate motion exaggeration factor. When not causing motion sickness, the design device may select the second candidate as a motion exaggeration factor to be used by the virtual reality ride system to generate subsequent, motion-coordinated virtual reality content, for example, by storing the second candidate in the virtual reality ride system. On the other hand, when the second candidate motion exaggeration factor causes motion sickness, the design device may continue to progress through one or more of the remaining candidate motion exaggeration factors in a similar manner.

[0037] In this way, the techniques described in this disclosure can facilitate a virtual reality ride system to have a reduced likelihood of producing motion sickness, which, at least in some instances, can facilitate improving the ride experience provided by the virtual reality ride system. However, instead of merely coordinating virtual reality content with ride vehicle movement to reduce the likelihood of producing motion sickness, the techniques described in this disclosure can enable a virtual reality ride system to present virtual reality content that exaggerates physical (e.g., real and / or actual) ride vehicle movement. In other words, as will be described in more detail below, the techniques described in this disclosure can enable a virtual reality ride system to present virtual reality content that is not limited to the magnitude of ride vehicle movement with a reduced likelihood of producing motion sickness, which can facilitate providing a more exciting and thus improved ride experience.

[0038] To help illustrate, Figure 1 1 shows an example of a virtual reality ride system 10, which includes: a ride environment 12; one or more ride vehicles 14; and a virtual reality subsystem 16. In some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system 10 may be deployed at an amusement park, theme park, carnival, fair, and / or similar venue. Additionally, in some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system 10 may be a roller coaster ride system, a lazy river ride system, a log flume ride system, a boat ride system, or the like.

[0039] However, it should be appreciated that the depicted examples are intended to be illustrative only and not limiting. For example, in other embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may be remote from one or more ride vehicles 14 and / or the ride environment 12. Additionally or alternatively, in other embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may be fully included in one or more ride vehicles 14. In any case, the ride vehicle 14 may generally be implemented and / or operated to carry (e.g., support) one or more riders (e.g., users) through the ride environment 12 of the virtual reality ride system 10. As such, the physical (e.g., actual and / or real) movement (e.g., motion) of the riders in the ride environment 12 may generally depend on the physical movement of the ride vehicle 14 carrying the riders.

[0040] To facilitate controlling the movement of the ride vehicle 14, the ride vehicle 14 may include one or more vehicle actuators 18. For example, the vehicle actuator 18 may include a steering wheel and / or a rudder that can control the direction of movement of the ride vehicle 14. In some embodiments, the ride vehicle 14 may additionally or alternatively include one or more tactile vehicle actuators 18 that are implemented and / or operated to present virtual reality tactile content. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the vehicle actuator 18 may include an engine, a motor, and / or a brake that can control the speed of movement of the ride vehicle 14. In other embodiments, for example, when the movement of the inner tube ride vehicle 14 is instead controlled by propulsion generated by the rider and / or by the ride environment 12, one or more vehicle actuators 18 may not be implemented in the ride vehicle 14.

[0041] To facilitate the generation of ride environment propulsion, as in the depicted example, one or more environmental actuators 20 may be deployed in the ride environment 12. For example, the environmental actuators 20 may include an engine and / or motor that is implemented and / or operated to push or pull the ride vehicle 14 through the ride environment 12. Additionally or alternatively, the environmental actuators 20 may include brakes that are implemented and / or operated to slow or stop the ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the environmental actuators 20 may include a pressurized air blower or accordion mechanism that is implemented and / or operated to artificially generate waves in the ride environment 12. In other embodiments, for example, when the movement of the inner tube ride vehicle 14 is instead controlled by propulsion generated by the rider, propulsion generated by one or more vehicle actuators 18, and / or propulsion that occurs naturally in the ride environment 12, one or more environmental actuators 20 may not be implemented in the ride environment 12.

[0042] As in the depicted example, the virtual reality ride system 10 may additionally include a ride control subsystem 22 that is implemented and / or operated to generally control the operation of one or more vehicle actuators 18 and / or one or more environmental actuators 20. To facilitate the control operations, the ride control subsystem 22 may include one or more control processors 24 (e.g., control circuitry and / or processing circuitry) and a control memory 26. In some embodiments, the control processor 24 may execute instructions stored in the control memory 26 to perform operations, such as generating control commands that direct the vehicle actuators 18 and / or environmental actuators 20 to perform control actions (e.g., actuation). Additionally or alternatively, the control processor 24 may operate based on circuit connections formed therein. As such, in some embodiments, the one or more control processors 24 may include one or more general purpose microprocessors, one or more application specific processors (ASICs), one or more field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or any combination thereof.

[0043] In addition to instructions, in some embodiments, the control memory 26 may also store data such as sensor data received from one or more sensors 28. Thus, in some embodiments, the control memory 26 may include one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by a processing circuit system (such as, the control processor 24) and / or data to be processed by the processing circuit system. For example, the control memory 26 may include one or more random access memory (RAM) devices, one or more read-only memory (ROM) devices, one or more rewritable non-volatile memory devices, such as, flash memory drives, hard drives, optical drives, and / or the like. In other embodiments, for example, when the virtual reality ride system 10 does not include the vehicle actuator 18 and / or the environment actuator 20, the ride control subsystem 22 may be excluded and thus not included in the virtual reality ride system 10.

[0044] In any case, as in the depicted example, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include: one or more sensors 28; one or more input / output (I / O) interfaces 30; virtual reality (VR) processing circuitry 32; virtual reality (VR) memory 34; and one or more electronic displays 36. In particular, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more I / O interfaces 30. In some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may execute instructions stored in the virtual reality memory 34 to perform operations such as determining a predicted movement profile for the ride vehicle 14 and / or generating virtual reality content. Additionally or alternatively, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may operate based on circuit connections formed therein. As such, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may include one or more general purpose microprocessors, one or more application specific processors (ASICs), one or more field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or any combination thereof.

[0045] As in the depicted example, for example, one or more electronic displays 36 may also be communicatively coupled to the one or more I / O interfaces 30 to enable the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 to supply image data corresponding to virtual reality image content to the one or more electronic displays 36. In some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include the one or more electronic displays 36 integrated with the ride vehicle 14 as a vehicle display 36A. Additionally or alternatively, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include the one or more electronic displays 36 implemented separately from (e.g., independent of and / or distinct from) the ride vehicle 14, for example, as a head mounted headset display (e.g., a head mounted display (HMD)) 36B.

[0046] Furthermore, as in the depicted example, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include one or more audio speakers 38. In particular, for example, the one or more audio speakers 38 may also be communicatively coupled to the one or more I / O interfaces 30 to enable the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 to supply audio data corresponding to virtual reality audio content to the one or more audio speakers 38. In some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include the one or more audio speakers 38 integrated with the ride vehicle 14 as vehicle speakers 38A. Additionally or alternatively, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include the one or more audio speakers 38 implemented separately from (e.g., independently of and / or distinct from) the ride vehicle 14, for example, as headset (e.g., head-mounted) speakers 38B.

[0047] Similarly, in some embodiments, for example, one or more haptic vehicle actuators 18 may be communicatively coupled to one or more I / O interfaces 30 to enable virtual reality processing circuitry 32 to supply control commands (e.g., haptic data) corresponding to virtual reality haptic content to the one or more haptic vehicle actuators 18. However, in other embodiments, for example, when vehicle actuators 18 are not haptic vehicle actuators 18 that are implemented and / or operated to present virtual reality haptic content, vehicle actuators 18 may not be included in virtual reality subsystem 16. Additionally or alternatively, for example, when audio speakers 38 are not implemented and / or operated to present virtual reality audio content, audio speakers 38 may not be included in virtual reality subsystem 16.

[0048] In addition, for example, one or more sensors 28 may be communicatively coupled to one or more I / O interfaces 30 to enable the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 to receive sensor data from the one or more sensors 28. In some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include one or more inertial motion sensors 28, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and / or magnetometers. Additionally or alternatively, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include one or more proximity sensors 28, such as sonar sensors 28, radio detection and ranging (RADAR) sensors 28, and / or light detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensors 28. In some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may additionally or alternatively include one or more position sensors 28, such as a global positioning system (GPS) sensor (e.g., receiver) 28.

[0049] Furthermore, as in the depicted example, for example, one or more vehicle sensors 28A may be deployed at the ride vehicle 14 to determine (e.g., sense and / or measure) sensor data indicative of a posture of the ride vehicle 14, a location of the ride vehicle 14, previous movement characteristics (e.g., profile) of the ride vehicle 14, and / or current movement characteristics of the ride vehicle 14. In some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may additionally or alternatively include, for example, one or more passenger sensors 28B implemented and / or operated to determine sensor data indicative of a passenger posture. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may additionally or alternatively include one or more environmental sensors, for example, deployed in the ride environment 12, to determine sensor data indicative of a location of the ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12, previous movement characteristics of the ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12, current movement characteristics of the ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12 (e.g., profile), and / or other movement characteristics in the ride environment 12.

[0050] To help illustrate, Figure 2 An example of a portion of a virtual reality ride system 10A is shown in FIG. Figure 3 An example of a portion of another virtual reality ride system 10B is shown in FIG. In particular, Figure 2 The virtual reality ride system 10A may be a boat ride system 10, and, Figure 3 The virtual reality ride system 10B may be a lazy river ride system 10. However, it should be appreciated that the techniques described in the present disclosure may additionally or alternatively be used to implement and / or operate other types of virtual reality ride systems 10, such as roller coaster ride systems, log flume ride systems, drop tower ride systems, pendulum ride systems, swing ride systems, pirate ship ride systems, off-road vehicle ride systems, robotic arm ride systems, and / or the like.

[0051] As depicted, Figure 2 Virtual Reality Ride System 10A and Figure 3 The virtual reality ride systems 10B each include a ride vehicle 14 that carries a rider 40 in a ride environment 12. In particular, Figure 2 The ride vehicle 14A may be a boat ride vehicle 14, and, Figure 2 The riding environment 12A may include a body of water 42A (eg, a pool, lake, river, and / or similar body of water) and a plurality of buoys 44 floating on the body of water 42A. Figure 3 The ride vehicle 14B may be an inner tube ride vehicle 14, and, Figure 3 The riding environment 12B may include a body of water 42B (eg, a pool, lake, river, and / or the like) and a wall 46 implemented along (eg, surrounding) the body of water 42B.

[0052] In addition, as depicted, Figure 2 Take public transportation 14A and Figure 3 Each of the ride vehicles 14B floats on a corresponding body of water 42 and thus moves in the body of water 42 with the waves 48. In addition, as depicted, Figure 2 Passenger 40A and Figure 3 Each of the passengers 40B in the vehicle has access to an electronic display 36 that is implemented and / or operated to display virtual reality image content. In particular, Figure 2 The occupant 40A in the vehicle has access to a vehicle display 36A that is integrated with (e.g., coupled to) the ride vehicle 14A. Figure 3 An occupant 40B in the vehicle has access to a headset display 36B, such as implemented in a headset 50, in conjunction with one or more occupant sensors 28B.

[0053] To facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness, the virtual reality ride system 10 may coordinate the presentation of virtual reality content (such as virtual reality image content displayed on an electronic display 36 carried by the ride vehicle 14) with the physical movement (e.g., motion) of the ride vehicle 14. Additionally, as described above, Figure 2 Take public transportation 14A and Figure 3 The ride vehicles 14B may each move with the waves 48 in the corresponding body of water 42. In some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system 10 may controllably generate at least a portion of the waves 48, for example, at least in part by controlling the operation of the environment actuators 20 and / or the vehicle actuators 18.

[0054] However, the waves 48 in the body of water 42 may additionally or alternatively be generated due to factors outside the control of the virtual reality ride system 10, such as sudden gusts of wind and / or changes in the gravitational force exerted on the body of water 42. Moreover, the movement profile of the ride vehicle 14 resulting from interaction with the waves 48 may also vary with factors outside the control of the virtual reality ride system 10, such as the weight of the riders 40 carried by the ride vehicle 14. Because such factors typically vary over time, in at least some instances, the movement profile of the ride vehicle 14 may vary between different passes (e.g., loops or rides) through the corresponding ride environment 12. In other words, in at least some instances, the actual movement profile of the ride vehicle 14 during a pass through the corresponding ride environment 12 may differ from its planned (e.g., default) movement profile.

[0055] To facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness during a passage through the ride environment 12, the virtual reality ride system 10 may adaptively predict a movement profile of the ride vehicle 14 based at least in part on sensor data determined by one or more of its sensors 28 during the passage and / or during one or more previous passages through the ride environment 12. As depicted, the virtual reality ride systems 10 each include a plurality of environmental sensors 28C deployed in their ride environment 12. In particular, Figure 2 The environmental sensor 28C is deployed on the buoy 44 in the riding environment 12A, and Figure 3 The environmental sensor 28C is deployed along the wall 46 in the riding environment 12B.

[0056] In some embodiments, the environmental sensor 28C includes one or more proximity sensors 28, such as a RADAR sensor 28 or a LIDAR sensor 28, and thus operates to determine (e.g., sense or measure) sensor data indicating the distance between the proximity environmental sensor 28C and a physical object. Figure 2 A proximity environment sensor 28C implemented on the buoy 44 in the embodiment may determine sensor data indicating the distance between the buoy 44 and the ride vehicle 14A. Additionally or alternatively, in Figure 2 In some embodiments, the virtual reality ride system 10 may triangulate the distance of the ride vehicle 14 from multiple proximity environment sensors 28C to determine the location of the ride vehicle 14 in the corresponding ride environment 12.

[0057] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the environmental sensor 28C additionally or alternatively includes an inertial motion sensor 28, such as an accelerometer and / or a gyroscope, and thus operates to determine sensor data indicative of movement of the inertial motion sensor 28. For example, in Figure 2 The inertial motion environment sensor 28C implemented on the buoy 44 in the embodiment of the present invention can determine sensor data indicating the movement of the buoy 44. In other words, since the buoy 44 floats in the Figure 2 42A, and thus sensor data determined by inertial motion environment sensor 28C implemented on buoy 44 may indicate movement characteristics of waves 48 in body of water 42A.

[0058] As depicted, Figure 2 Take public transportation 14A and Figure 3 Each of the ride vehicles 14B includes a vehicle sensor 28A. In some embodiments, the vehicle sensor 28A may be an inertial motion sensor 28, such as an accelerometer and / or a gyroscope, and thus operates to determine (e.g., sense or measure) sensor data indicating the movement of the corresponding ride vehicle 14. Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle sensor 28A may be a proximity sensor 28, such as a RADAR sensor 28 or a LIDAR sensor 28, and thus operates to determine (e.g., sense or measure) sensor data indicating the distance between the corresponding ride vehicle 14 and a physical object. For example, a vehicle sensor 28A deployed on Figure 2 Proximity vehicle sensors 28A on ride vehicles 14A may determine sensor data indicating a distance to a buoy 44 floating on a body of water 42A, a distance to another ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12A, and / or a distance to waves 48 in the body of water 42A. Figure 2 Proximity vehicle sensor 28A on ride vehicle 14B may determine sensor data indicating a distance to a wall 46 extending along body of water 42B, a distance to another ride vehicle 14 in ride environment 12B, and / or a distance to waves 48 in body of water 42B.

[0059] Return to Figure 1 In the virtual reality ride system 10 of the present invention, as described above, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may receive sensor data from the one or more sensors 28 via the one or more I / O interfaces 30 in the virtual reality subsystem 16. Additionally, as in the depicted example, a remote data source 52 may be communicatively coupled to the one or more I / O interfaces 30, and thus communicatively coupled to the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 in the virtual reality subsystem 16. For example, the remote data source 52 may be a weather forecast server (e.g., a database) that stores sensor data indicating current weather conditions and / or predicted sensor data indicating forecast (e.g., future) weather conditions.

[0060] However, it should again be appreciated that the depicted examples are intended to be illustrative and not limiting. In particular, in other embodiments, data received from remote data source 52 may be excluded, for example, from sensor data received from one or more sensors 28 in virtual reality subsystem 16. Thus, in such embodiments, remote data source 52 may not be included in and / or communicatively coupled to the corresponding virtual reality ride system 10.

[0061] In any case, as described above, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may be operative to determine a predicted movement profile (e.g., trajectory) of the ride vehicle 14 based at least in part on the received sensor data. Additionally, as described above, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may be operative to generate movement-coordinated virtual reality content based at least in part on the predicted movement profile of the ride vehicle 14. Furthermore, as described above, in some embodiments, for example, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may be operative at least in part by executing instructions stored in the virtual reality memory 34 to process data stored in the virtual reality memory 34.

[0062] As such, in some embodiments, virtual reality memory 34 may include one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media that store instructions executable by a processing circuit system (such as virtual reality processing circuit system 32) and / or data to be processed by the processing circuit system. For example, virtual reality memory 34 may include one or more random access memory (RAM) devices, one or more read-only memory (ROM) devices, one or more rewritable non-volatile memory devices, such as flash memory drives, hard drives, optical drives, and / or the like. As in the depicted example, the data and / or instructions stored in virtual reality memory 34 may include default virtual reality (VR) content 54 and a ride vehicle movement prediction model 56.

[0063] In some embodiments, the default virtual reality content 54 may correspond to virtual reality content (such as virtual reality image content and / or virtual reality audio content) that would be presented to the rider 40 when the corresponding ride vehicle 14 follows a default (e.g., planned or stationary) movement profile. Thus, as will be described in more detail below, in some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may generate movement-coordinated virtual reality content, such as movement-coordinated virtual reality image content and / or movement-coordinated virtual reality audio content, at least in part by adjusting the default virtual reality content 54 based at least in part on the deviation of the predicted movement profile of the ride vehicle 14 from its default movement profile. Additionally, in some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may determine the predicted movement profile of the ride vehicle 14 by executing the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56 based at least in part on the received sensor data.

[0064] exist Figure 4 , an example of a ride vehicle movement prediction model 56A that may be deployed in and / or utilized by a virtual reality ride system 10 is shown. The ride vehicle movement prediction model 56A may receive one or more input parameters 58 including sensor data 60, and determine one or more output parameters 62 indicating a predicted ride vehicle movement profile (e.g., trajectory) 64 within a prediction range. However, it should be appreciated that the depicted example is intended to be illustrative only and not limiting. In particular, in other embodiments, the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56 may receive other types of input parameters 58 and / or determine other types of output parameters 62.

[0065] In fact, as in the depicted example, the input parameters 58 may additionally include one or more actuator control commands 65. As described above, in some embodiments, the ride control subsystem 22 may transmit control commands to actuators, such as the vehicle actuator 18 or the environmental actuator 20, that instruct the actuators to perform control actions, which facilitate controlling the movement of the ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12, for example. As such, to facilitate determining the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64, in some embodiments, one or more actuator control commands 65 corresponding to control actions that may affect the movement of the ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12 may be included in the input parameters 58 supplied to the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56A. Additionally or alternatively, the input parameters 58 may include a default movement profile 67 for the ride vehicle 14 in the corresponding ride environment 12. In other embodiments, for example, when information indicated by the actuator control commands 65 and / or the default movement profile 67 is excluded by the sensor data 60, the actuator control commands 65 and / or the default movement profile 67 may not be included in the input parameters 58 supplied to the ride transportation movement prediction model 56.

[0066] As in the depicted example, the sensor data 60 included in the input parameters 58 may include vehicle sensor data 60A received from one or more vehicle sensors 28A. As described above, when the vehicle sensor 28A includes a proximity sensor 28A disposed on the ride vehicle 14, the vehicle sensor data 60A may indicate the distance between the ride vehicle 14 and a physical object (such as another ride vehicle 14, a buoy 44, a wall 46, a wave 48, and / or similar physical objects) in the corresponding ride environment 12. When the vehicle sensor 28A includes an inertial motion vehicle sensor 28A, the vehicle sensor data 60A may indicate the current and / or previous movement characteristics of the ride vehicle 14.

[0067] In addition, as in the depicted example, the sensor data 60 included in the input parameters 58 may include passenger sensor data 60B received from one or more passenger sensors 28B. In some embodiments, the passenger sensor 28B may be a proximity sensor 28B, and, thus, the passenger sensor data 60B may indicate the distance between the corresponding passenger 40 and a physical object in the corresponding ride environment 12 (such as a specific point on the ride vehicle 14 carrying the passenger 40, another ride vehicle 14, a buoy 44, a wall 46, a wave 48, and / or a similar physical object). Additionally or alternatively, the passenger sensor 28B may be an inertial motion sensor 28B, and, thus, the passenger sensor data 60B may indicate the current and / or previous movement characteristics of the passenger 40, and, thus, the current and / or previous movement characteristics of the ride vehicle 14 carrying the passenger 40.

[0068] Furthermore, as in the depicted example, the sensor data 60 included in the input parameters 58 may include environmental sensor data 60C received from one or more environmental sensors 28C. As described above, when the environmental sensor 28C includes a proximity sensor 28C, the environmental sensor data 60C may indicate the distance between the proximity environmental sensor 28C and a physical object (such as the ride vehicle 14, the buoy 44, the wall 46, the waves 48, and / or the like) in the ride environment 12. Additionally or alternatively, when the environmental sensor 28C includes an inertial motion sensor 28C, the environmental sensor data 60C may indicate current and / or previous movement characteristics of a physical object (such as the buoy 44, the waves 48, the ride vehicle 14, and / or the like) in the ride environment 12.

[0069] In other embodiments, such as when the virtual reality ride system 10 does not include the environmental sensor 28C, the environmental sensor data 60C may not be included in the input parameters 58. Additionally, in other embodiments, such as when the virtual reality ride system 10 does not include the rider sensor 28B, the rider sensor data 60B may not be included in the input parameters 58. Additionally, in other embodiments, such as when the virtual reality ride system 10 does not include the vehicle sensor 28A, the vehicle sensor data 60A may not be included in the input parameters 58.

[0070] As described above, the input parameters 58 supplied to the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56A may indicate current and / or previous movement characteristics of a physical object (such as a ride vehicle 14) in the ride environment 12. In other words, the input parameters 58 supplied to the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56A may indicate the current movement profile and / or previous movement profile of the physical object in the ride environment. As such, the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56A may determine a predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 that is expected to occur during a prediction horizon (e.g., a subsequent time period) based at least in part on the input parameters 58. As used herein, a "predicted ride vehicle movement profile" of a ride vehicle 14 describes movement characteristics that are predicted (e.g., expected) to occur for the ride vehicle 14 during a certain time period (i.e., a prediction horizon).

[0071] Thus, as in the depicted example, the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 may include one or more predicted ride vehicle movement times 66. As used herein, a "predicted ride vehicle movement time" describes a predicted start time or a predicted stop time of a specific movement of a corresponding ride vehicle 14 during a predicted range, for example, indicated as an absolute time and / or a relative ride time. In other words, in some embodiments, the predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 may include a start, predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 indicating the time at which the specific movement of the corresponding ride vehicle 14 starts (e.g., begins). Additionally, in some embodiments, the predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 may include a stop, predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 indicating the time at which the specific movement of the corresponding ride vehicle 14 stops (e.g., ends).

[0072] The predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 may additionally or alternatively include one or more predicted ride vehicle movement durations 68. As used herein, a "predicted ride vehicle movement duration" describes a duration, indicated in seconds and / or minutes, within which a specific movement of the corresponding ride vehicle 14 is predicted to occur during the prediction horizon. Thus, in some embodiments, the predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68 may be determined based at least in part on the time difference between the start, predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 and the corresponding stop, predicted ride vehicle movement time 66. In fact, in some embodiments, an indication of the predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 may be excluded by an indication of one or more predicted ride vehicle movement durations 68, and thus not included in the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 output from the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56. In other embodiments, the indication of predicted transit movement duration 68 may be excluded from the indication of predicted transit movement time 66 , and thus not included in the predicted transit movement profile 64 output from the transit movement prediction model 56 .

[0073] In addition, the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 may also include one or more predicted ride vehicle movement directions 70. As used herein, the "predicted ride vehicle movement direction" describes the movement direction (e.g., orientation) of the corresponding ride vehicle 14 that is predicted to occur within the prediction range at the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 and / or during the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68, for example, in degrees and / or radians. In some embodiments, the predicted ride vehicle movement direction 70 can be determined as an orientation (e.g., offset direction) in three-dimensional (3D) space. Additionally or alternatively, the predicted ride vehicle movement direction 70 can be determined as an orientation on a horizontal plane and an orientation on a vertical plane. In addition, in some embodiments, the predicted ride vehicle movement direction 70 can be determined relative to the corresponding ride environment 12. Since parts of the ride environment 12 (such as, water bodies 42 and / or waves 48) may be in motion, in some embodiments, the predicted ride vehicle movement direction 70 can be additionally or alternatively determined relative to a fixed reference point (such as, the earth).

[0074] In addition, the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 may include one or more predicted ride vehicle movement amplitudes 72. As used herein, the "predicted ride vehicle movement amplitude" describes the movement amplitude (e.g., distance) of the corresponding ride vehicle 14 that is predicted to occur within the prediction range at the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 and / or during the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68, for example, indicated in meters. In some embodiments, the predicted ride vehicle movement amplitude 72 can be determined as a distance (e.g., an offset amplitude) in three-dimensional (3D) space. Additionally or alternatively, the predicted ride vehicle movement amplitude 72 can be determined as a distance on a horizontal plane and a distance on a vertical plane.

[0075] Additionally, in some embodiments, the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement 72 may be determined relative to the corresponding ride environment 12. Because portions of the ride environment 12 (such as the body of water 42 and / or waves 48) may be in motion, in some embodiments, the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement 72 may additionally or alternatively be determined relative to a fixed reference point (such as the corresponding virtual reality ride system 10 as a whole and / or the center of the earth). For example, the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement 72 may indicate that the corresponding ride vehicle is predicted to move a specific distance relative to the center of the earth. In this manner, the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56 may be implemented and / or operated to determine a predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 that indicates movement characteristics of the corresponding ride vehicle 14 that are expected to occur during a subsequent time period (e.g., a prediction horizon).

[0076] Return to Figure 1 In the virtual reality ride system 10 of the present invention, to facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may generate virtual reality content based at least in part on the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 and present the virtual reality content to the rider 40 of the ride vehicle 14. In particular, in some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may adapt the default virtual reality content 54 to facilitate compensating for the movement characteristics indicated in the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64. For example, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may adapt the default virtual reality image content 54 at least in part by translating (e.g., offsetting) the default virtual reality image content 54 along the predicted ride vehicle movement direction 70 to generate adapted (e.g., movement coordinated) virtual reality image content, and display (e.g., present) the adapted virtual reality image content at the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement time 66.

[0077] To help further illustrate, in Figure 5An example of a process 74 for operating a virtual reality subsystem 16 that may be deployed in and / or utilized by a virtual reality ride system 10 is shown in FIG. Generally speaking, the process 74 includes determining sensor data (process block 76); and determining a predicted ride vehicle movement profile based on the sensor data (process block 78). Additionally, the process 74 includes adapting default virtual reality content to coordinate with the predicted ride vehicle movement profile (process block 80).

[0078] Although described in a particular order to represent a particular embodiment, it should be noted that process 74 may be performed in any suitable order. Additionally, embodiments of process 74 may omit process blocks and / or include additional process blocks. Furthermore, process 74 may be implemented at least in part by using processing circuitry (such as virtual reality processing circuitry 32) to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as virtual reality memory 34).

[0079] Thus, in some embodiments, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may receive sensor data determined (e.g., measured and / or sensed) by one or more sensors 28. As described above, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may include one or more vehicle sensors 28A. Thus, in some such embodiments, determining the sensor data may include receiving vehicle sensor data 60A output from the one or more vehicle sensors 28A (process block 82). As described above, in some embodiments, the vehicle sensor data may indicate a posture (e.g., orientation and / or position) of a corresponding ride vehicle 14, a previous movement characteristic (e.g., a profile) of the ride vehicle 14, and / or a current movement characteristic of the ride vehicle 14.

[0080] Additionally, as described above, virtual reality subsystem 16 may include one or more vehicle sensors 28A. Thus, in some such embodiments, determining sensor data may include receiving rider sensor data 60B output from one or more rider sensors 28B (process block 84). As described above, in some embodiments, rider sensor data may indicate a posture of a corresponding rider 40 being carried by ride vehicle 14.

[0081] Furthermore, as described above, virtual reality subsystem 16 may additionally or alternatively include one or more environmental sensors 28C. Thus, in some such embodiments, determining sensor data may include receiving environmental sensor data 60C output from one or more environmental sensors 28C (process block 86). As described above, in some embodiments, environmental sensor data 60C may indicate a location of ride vehicle 14 in a corresponding ride environment 12, previous movement characteristics (e.g., a profile) of ride vehicle 14 in ride environment 12, current movement characteristics of ride vehicle 14 in ride environment 12, and / or characteristics of other movement in ride environment 12 (such as movement of body of water 42 and / or movement of waves 48).

[0082] As described above, the sensors 28 may be communicatively coupled to the I / O interface 30 of the virtual reality subsystem 16, and the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may be communicatively coupled to the I / O interface 30. Thus, in such embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may receive sensor data 60 output from one or more sensors 28 via one or more I / O interfaces 30 implemented in the virtual reality subsystem 16. Additionally, as described above, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may be communicatively coupled to the virtual reality memory 34 storing the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56, e.g., the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56 describing an expected relationship between the sensor data 60 and a predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 that is expected to occur during a prediction horizon.

[0083] Thus, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may determine a predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 based at least in part on the sensor data (process block 78). In particular, to facilitate determining the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may also execute the ride vehicle movement prediction model 56 based at least in part on a set of input parameters 58 including the sensor data 60, for example, in addition to one or more actuator control commands 65 and / or a default movement profile of the corresponding ride vehicle 14. As described above, the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 of the ride vehicle 14 may indicate predicted movement characteristics of the ride vehicle 14 that are expected to occur during the prediction horizon, such as movement time, movement duration, movement direction, and / or movement magnitude.

[0084] As such, in some embodiments, determining the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 may include determining one or more predicted ride vehicle movement times 66 (process box 88). Additionally or alternatively, determining the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 may include determining one or more predicted ride vehicle movement durations 68 (process box 90). Furthermore, in some embodiments, determining the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 may include determining one or more predicted ride vehicle movement directions 70 (process box 92). Furthermore, in some embodiments, determining the predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64 may include determining one or more predicted ride vehicle movement magnitudes 72 (process box 94).

[0085] To facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness-inducing virtual reality content presentation, virtual reality subsystem 16 may generate motion-coordinated virtual reality content (process block 80) at least in part by adapting default virtual reality content 54 based on predicted ride vehicle movement profile 64. In particular, in some embodiments, virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may generate motion-coordinated virtual reality image content at least in part by translating (e.g., offsetting and / or shifting) default virtual reality image content 54 along predicted ride vehicle movement direction 70. In this manner, virtual reality subsystem 16 may generate motion-coordinated virtual reality image content that, when displayed (e.g., rendered), results in a perceived direction of movement that matches predicted ride vehicle movement direction 70.

[0086] Additionally or alternatively, for example, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may generate movement-coordinated virtual reality image content at least in part by adding virtual content to the default virtual reality image content 54, such that the movement-coordinated virtual reality image content visually depicts the cause and / or result of the physical ride vehicle movement. In some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may additionally set a target presentation (e.g., display) time for the movement-coordinated virtual reality image content to match the predicted ride vehicle movement time 66. In other words, in this manner, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may generate the movement-coordinated virtual reality image content to be displayed at a presentation time that matches the predicted ride vehicle movement time 66. Additionally or alternatively, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may set a target presentation (e.g., display) duration for the movement-coordinated virtual reality image content to match the predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68. In this manner, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may generate the movement-coordinated virtual reality image content to be displayed during a presentation duration that matches the predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68.

[0087] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may generate the movement-coordinated virtual reality image content at least in part by translating the default virtual reality image content 54, e.g., in a direction indicated by the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement direction 70, by a distance determined at least in part based on the predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude 72. Indeed, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may generate the movement-coordinated virtual reality image content such that the presentation results in a perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude that is different than the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude 72. For example, to facilitate providing a more exciting (e.g., improved) ride experience, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may generate the movement-coordinated virtual reality content at least in part by adapting the default virtual reality content 54 to produce a perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude that is greater than the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude 72 (process block 96). In other words, the movement-coordinated virtual reality content may include movement-exaggerated virtual reality content that, when presented to the riders 40 of the ride vehicle 14, exaggerates the magnitude of the physical movement of the ride vehicle 14.

[0088] To help illustrate, Figure 6 An example of a process 98 for generating motion-exaggerated virtual reality content is described in . In general, process 98 includes: determining a motion exaggeration factor (process block 100); and determining a target perceived magnitude of ride vehicle movement by applying the motion exaggeration factor to the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement (process block 102). Additionally, process 98 includes determining motion-exaggerated virtual reality content by adapting default virtual reality content based on the targeted perceived magnitude of ride vehicle movement (process block 104).

[0089] Although described in a particular order to represent a particular embodiment, it should be noted that process 98 may be performed in any suitable order. Additionally, embodiments of process 98 may omit process blocks and / or include additional process blocks. Furthermore, process 98 may be implemented at least in part by using processing circuitry (such as virtual reality processing circuitry 32) to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as virtual reality memory 34).

[0090] Thus, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 in the virtual reality subsystem 16 may determine one or more motion exaggeration factors (process block 100). As will be described in more detail below, in some embodiments, the motion exaggeration factors may be pre-determined by the design system via a calibration process and stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the virtual reality memory 34. Thus, in such embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may retrieve the motion exaggeration factors from the tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0091] In some embodiments, the movement exaggeration factor may include one or more offset (e.g., bias) values. Additionally or alternatively, the movement exaggeration factor may include one or more gain (e.g., proportional) values. Indeed, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may adaptively (e.g., dynamically) determine the value of one or more movement exaggeration factors to be applied based on operating factors that may vary (such as the content of the virtual reality content and / or the predicted movement characteristics of the ride vehicle). In other words, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may select different movement exaggeration factors under different operating factors.

[0092] For example, the virtual reality processing circuit system 32 may apply a larger movement exaggeration factor to generate motion-exaggerated virtual reality content corresponding to a ride climax (such as a fight scene). As another example, the virtual reality processing circuit system 32 may apply a larger movement exaggeration factor to generate motion-exaggerated virtual reality content corresponding to a longer predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68 and a smaller movement exaggeration factor to generate motion-exaggerated virtual reality content corresponding to a shorter predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68, or vice versa. As another example, the virtual reality processing circuit system 32 may apply a larger movement exaggeration factor to generate motion-exaggerated virtual reality content corresponding to a larger predicted ride vehicle movement amplitude 72 and a smaller movement exaggeration factor to generate motion-exaggerated virtual reality content corresponding to a smaller predicted ride vehicle movement amplitude 72, or vice versa.

[0093] The virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may then apply one or more movement exaggeration factors to the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement 72 to determine a target perceived magnitude of ride vehicle movement (process block 102). For example, when the movement exaggeration factor is an offset value, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may apply the movement exaggeration factor to determine a target perceived magnitude of ride vehicle movement that is biased relative to the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement 72. Additionally or alternatively, when the movement exaggeration factor is a gain value, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may apply the movement exaggeration factor to determine a target perceived magnitude of ride vehicle movement that is scaled relative to the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement 72.

[0094] To determine the motion-exaggerated virtual reality content, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may adapt the default virtual reality content 54 based at least in part on the magnitude of the ride vehicle movement perceived by the target (process block 104). For example, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may generate the motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content at least in part by adapting (e.g., translating and / or shifting) the default virtual reality image content 54 so that when displayed, the motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content results in the magnitude of the ride vehicle movement perceived by the target. In other words, in such an embodiment, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may determine the motion-exaggerated virtual reality content to be included in the motion-coordinated virtual reality content based at least in part on the magnitude of the ride vehicle movement perceived by the target that is different from the corresponding predicted magnitude of the ride vehicle movement 72.

[0095] To facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness, as described above, the virtual reality subsystem 16 may present motion-coordinated virtual reality content to the riders 40 of the ride vehicle 14 in coordination with the predicted movement characteristics of the ride vehicle 14. For example, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may direct one or more (e.g., haptic) vehicle actuators 18 to present motion-coordinated virtual reality tactile content at the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 and / or during the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68. Additionally, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may direct one or more audio speakers 38 to present motion-coordinated virtual reality audio content at the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 and / or during the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the virtual reality processing circuitry 32 may additionally or alternatively direct one or more electronic displays 36 to present (e.g., display) motion-coordinated virtual reality graphical content at the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement time 66 and / or during the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement duration 68.

[0096] However, as described above, in at least some instances, the riders 40 on the ride vehicle 14 of the virtual reality ride system 10 may experience motion sickness when the sensory (e.g., visual and vestibular) systems of the riders 40 detect different movement characteristics. Additionally, as described above, the motion-exaggerated virtual reality content included in the motion-coordinated virtual reality content may be generated based on a target perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude that is different from (e.g., greater than) the corresponding predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude 72. In other words, the perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude resulting from the presentation of the motion-exaggerated virtual reality content may be different from the predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude 72, and thus may be different from the corresponding actual movement magnitude of the ride vehicle 14.

[0097] As such, to facilitate providing a more exciting ride experience with a reduced likelihood of producing motion sickness, in some embodiments, the determination of motion exaggerated virtual reality content may be calibrated (e.g., tuned) via a calibration (e.g., tuning) process. In particular, in such embodiments, a calibration process may be performed to determine the values ​​of one or more motion exaggeration factors to be applied to the predicted magnitude of ride vehicle movement 72. Additionally, in some embodiments, the calibration process may be performed by a design system, e.g., offline, prior to deploying the virtual reality subsystem 16 in the virtual reality ride system 10 and / or prior to an operational cycle of the virtual reality subsystem 16.

[0098] To help illustrate, Figure 7 1. An example of a design (e.g., calibration and / or tuning) system 106 is shown in FIG. 2. As in the depicted example, the design system 106 includes a design device 108 communicatively coupled to the virtual reality subsystem 16A. In other embodiments, the design system 106 may include multiple (e.g., more than one) design devices 108. Additionally or alternatively, in other embodiments, the design device 108 may be communicatively coupled to the virtual reality subsystem 16 only after a calibration process is completed.

[0099] As described above, virtual reality subsystem 16 may include electronic display 36 and virtual reality (VR) memory 34. Additionally, as described above, virtual reality memory 34 may store instructions and / or data to be used by virtual reality subsystem 16. In particular, as in the depicted example, the data stored in virtual reality memory 34A may include candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content 110 and motion-exaggeration factors 112 determined, for example, via a calibration process performed by design device 108.

[0100] To facilitate conducting the calibration process, as in the depicted example, the design device 108 may include a design memory 116 and one or more design processors 114 (e.g., control circuitry and / or processing circuitry). In some embodiments, the design memory 116 may store data to be used by the one or more design processors 114. In particular, as in the depicted example, the data stored in the design memory 116 may include one or more candidate motion exaggeration factors 118. Thus, in some embodiments, the design memory 116 may include one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media. For example, the design memory 116 may include one or more random access memory (RAM) devices, one or more read-only memory (ROM) devices, one or more rewritable non-volatile memory devices, such as a flash memory drive, a hard drive, an optical drive, and / or the like.

[0101] In addition to data, in some embodiments, design memory 116 may also store instructions to be executed by processing circuitry, such as design processor 114. For example, one or more design processors 114 may execute instructions stored in design memory 116 to generate candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content 110 corresponding to one or more candidate motion exaggeration factors 118. Additionally or alternatively, design processor 114 may operate based on circuit connections formed therein. As such, in some embodiments, one or more design processors 144 may include one or more general-purpose microprocessors, one or more application-specific processors (ASICs), one or more field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or any combination thereof.

[0102] Additionally, as in the depicted example, the design device 108 may include one or more input devices 120. In other embodiments, the one or more input devices 120 may additionally or alternatively be included in the virtual reality subsystem 16. In any case, the input device 120 may generally be implemented and / or operated to receive user (e.g., operator) input. As such, in some embodiments, the input device 120 may include one or more buttons, one or more keyboards, one or more mice, one or more trackpads, and / or similar input devices. For example, to facilitate selection of a motion exaggeration factor 112 from a plurality of candidate motion exaggeration factors 118 during a calibration process, the input device 120 may receive user input indicating whether presentation of the corresponding candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content causes motion sickness.

[0103] To help further illustrate, in Figure 8An example of a calibration process 122 that may be performed by the design system 106 and / or the design device 108 is described in . In general, the calibration process 122 includes: determining a candidate motion exaggeration factor (process block 124); determining a candidate, perceived ride vehicle motion magnitude by applying the candidate motion exaggeration factor to the calibration ride vehicle motion magnitude (process block 126); and generating candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content based on the candidate, perceived ride vehicle motion magnitude (process block 128). Additionally, the calibration process 122 includes: simultaneously generating the calibration ride vehicle motion magnitude and presenting the candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content (process block 130); determining whether motion sickness is induced (decision block 132); if motion sickness is induced, determining the next largest candidate motion exaggeration factor (process block 134); and if motion sickness is not induced, selecting the candidate as the motion exaggeration factor (process block 136).

[0104] Although described in a particular order to represent a particular embodiment, it should be noted that the calibration process 122 may be performed in any suitable order. Additionally, embodiments of the calibration process 122 may omit process blocks and / or include additional process blocks. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the calibration process 122 may be performed at least in part by a manufacturer that produces the virtual reality subsystem 16 and / or a system integrator that produces the virtual reality ride system 10. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the calibration process 122 may be implemented at least in part by using processing circuitry (such as one or more design processors 114) to execute instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as design memory 116).

[0105] Thus, in some embodiments, the design device 108 may determine one or more candidate movement exaggeration factors 118 (process block 124). In particular, in some embodiments, the design device 108 may determine a plurality of candidate movement exaggeration factors 118, each having a different value. Additionally, to facilitate providing a more exciting ride experience, in some embodiments, the design device 108 may evaluate the candidate movement exaggeration factors 118 in descending numerical order. In other words, in such embodiments, the design device 108 may evaluate the candidate movement exaggeration factor 118 having the largest value before other candidate movement exaggeration factors 118.

[0106] By applying the candidate movement exaggeration factor 118 to the calibration ride vehicle magnitude, the design device 108 may determine a candidate, perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude that corresponds to the candidate movement exaggeration factor 118 (process block 126). In particular, the calibration ride vehicle magnitude may be a movement magnitude of the ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12. In other words, the candidate, perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude may match a target perceived ride vehicle movement magnitude resulting from applying the candidate movement exaggeration factor 118 to the predicted ride vehicle movement magnitude 72 that matches the calibration ride vehicle magnitude.

[0107] The design device 108 may generate candidate, exaggerated motion virtual reality content 110 based at least in part on the candidate ride vehicle movement magnitude (process block 128). In some embodiments, the design device 108 may generate the candidate, exaggerated motion virtual reality content 110 at least in part by adapting the default virtual reality content 54 based at least in part on the candidate ride vehicle movement magnitude. For example, to generate the candidate, exaggerated motion virtual reality image content 110, the design device 108 may shift (e.g., translate) the default virtual reality image content 54 by the candidate ride vehicle movement magnitude.

[0108] The design device 108 may then direct the virtual reality subsystem 16 to simultaneously generate the calibration ride movement magnitude and present the candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content (process block 130). For example, the design device 108 may direct the virtual reality subsystem 16 to present (e.g., display) the candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content 110 to the rider 40 of the ride vehicle 14. As described above, in some embodiments, the movement of the ride vehicle 14 in the ride environment 12 of the virtual reality ride system 10 may be controlled at least in part by controlling the operation of one or more actuators (such as the vehicle actuators 18 and / or the environment actuators 20). Thus, in such embodiments, the design device 108 may direct the virtual reality ride system 10 to generate the calibration ride movement magnitude at least in part by controlling the one or more actuators. Additionally or alternatively, the design device 108 may direct the virtual reality subsystem 16 to manually generate the calibration ride movement magnitude during the calibration process 122, such as via one or more calibration (e.g., temporary) actuators coupled to the ride vehicle 14.

[0109] The design device 108 may then determine whether motion sickness is caused by presenting the candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content simultaneously with the occurrence of the calibration ride vehicle movement magnitude (decision block 132). In some embodiments, the design device 108 may determine whether motion sickness is caused based at least in part on user (e.g., rider) input received from the rider 40 of the ride vehicle 14 via one or more input devices 120. For example, the design device 108 may determine that motion sickness is caused when the user input selects a first input device 120 (e.g., a yes button) and that motion sickness is not caused when the user input selects a second (e.g., a different) input device 120 (e.g., a no button).

[0110] When motion sickness is not induced, the design device 108 may select the candidate motion exaggeration factor 118 as the motion exaggeration factor 112 to be applied during subsequent operation of the virtual reality subsystem 16, e.g., after being deployed in the virtual reality ride system 10 (process block 136). As described above, in some embodiments, the selected motion exaggeration factor 112 may be stored in a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as virtual reality memory 34A) in the virtual reality subsystem 16. When motion sickness is induced, the design device 108 may determine the next largest candidate motion exaggeration factor 118 (process block 134).

[0111] The design device 108 may then evaluate the next maximum candidate motion exaggeration factor 118 in a similar manner. In other words, the design device 108 may determine another candidate, perceived ride vehicle motion magnitude by applying the next maximum candidate motion exaggeration factor 118 to the calibration ride vehicle magnitude (process block 126), generate other candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content based on the other candidate, perceived ride vehicle motion magnitude (process block 128), simultaneously generate the calibration ride vehicle motion magnitude and present the other candidate, motion-exaggerated virtual reality content (process block 130), determine whether motion sickness is induced (decision block 132), select the next maximum candidate as the motion exaggeration factor when motion sickness is not induced (process block 136), and determine another next maximum candidate motion exaggeration factor when motion sickness is induced (process block 134). In this manner, the techniques described in the present disclosure may facilitate reducing the likelihood of motion sickness while providing a more exciting and thus improved virtual reality ride experience.

[0112] The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example. It should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and / or alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the specific forms disclosed, but rather, are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0113] The technology presented and claimed herein is cited and applied to substantial objects and specific examples of a practical nature that arguably improve the art and are therefore not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Moreover, if any claim appended at the end of this specification contains one or more elements designated as "a means for [performing] ... [function]" or "a step for [performing] ... [function]," it is intended that such elements will be interpreted in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claim containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements will not be interpreted in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Claims

1. A virtual reality riding system, comprising: an electronic display configured to present virtual reality graphical content to a rider while the rider is being transported by the ride vehicle through a ride environment; one or more sensors configured to determine sensor data indicative of movement characteristics of the ride vehicle within the ride environment; as well as and virtual reality processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the electronic display and the one or more sensors, wherein the virtual reality processing circuitry is configured to: determining a predicted movement profile of the ride vehicle based at least in part on the sensor data received from the one or more sensors, wherein the predicted movement profile indicates that the ride vehicle is expected to move a predicted movement magnitude during a predicted movement duration; determining a target perceived motion magnitude greater than the predicted motion magnitude at least in part by applying a motion exaggeration factor to the predicted motion magnitude; and Movement-exaggerated virtual reality image content to be presented on the electronic display during the predicted movement duration is determined at least in part by adapting default virtual reality image content to incorporate a magnitude of movement perceived by the target.

2. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: The virtual reality ride system is a roller coaster ride system, a lazy river ride system, a log flume ride system, a boat ride system, a drop tower ride system, a pendulum ride system, a swing ride system, an off-road vehicle ride system, or a robotic arm ride system.

3. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: The virtual reality processing circuitry is configured to direct the electronic display to display the movement-exaggerated virtual reality image content during the predicted movement duration corresponding to the predicted movement magnitude.

4. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: The virtual reality processing circuitry is configured to determine the exaggerated virtual reality image content at least in part by translating the default virtual reality image content a distance corresponding to a magnitude of movement perceived by the target.

5. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: the predicted movement profile indicates that the ride vehicle is expected to move an additional predicted movement magnitude during an additional predicted movement duration; and The virtual reality processing circuit system is configured to: determining an additional target perceived motion magnitude greater than the additional predicted motion magnitude at least in part by applying an additional motion exaggeration factor to the additional predicted motion magnitude; as well as Additional motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content to be presented on the electronic display during the additional predicted movement duration is determined at least in part by adapting additional default virtual reality image content to incorporate the additional target-perceived movement magnitude.

6. The virtual reality ride system of claim 5, wherein: The value of the motion exaggeration factor applied to the predicted motion magnitude is different from the value of the additional motion exaggeration factor applied to the additional predicted motion magnitude when: image content in the motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content to be presented on the electronic display during the predicted motion duration is different from the additional motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content to be presented on the electronic display during the additional predicted motion duration; the predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle that is expected to occur during the predicted movement duration is different from the additional predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle that is expected to occur during the additional predicted movement duration; a duration in the predicted movement durations being different from a duration in the additional predicted movement durations; or, Any combination of them.

7. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: The motion exaggeration factor includes an offset value, a gain value, or both.

8. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: the predicted movement profile indicates that the ride vehicle is expected to move in a predicted movement direction during the predicted movement duration; and The virtual reality processing circuitry is configured to determine the movement-exaggerated virtual reality image content to be presented on the electronic display during the predicted movement duration at least in part by adapting the default virtual reality image content to incorporate a perceived direction of movement that matches the predicted direction of movement of the ride vehicle.

9. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: The virtual reality processing circuit system is configured to determine the predicted movement profile of the ride vehicle using a ride vehicle movement prediction model that at least partially describes one or more expected relationships between the sensor data and subsequent movement characteristics of the ride vehicle.

10. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: The ride environment includes a body of water and at least one buoy configured to float on the body of water; and The one or more sensors include an environmental sensor implemented on the at least one buoy, wherein the environmental sensor is configured to determine sensor data indicating the proximity of the ride vehicle to the at least one buoy, movement characteristics of the at least one buoy, movement characteristics of waves in the body of water, or any combination thereof.

11. The virtual reality ride system of claim 1, wherein: The riding environment includes a body of water and a wall adjacent to the body of water; as well as The one or more sensors include at least one environmental sensor positioned on the wall, wherein the at least one environmental sensor is configured to determine sensor data indicative of a proximity of the ride vehicle to the wall, a moving characteristic of waves in the body of water, or both.

12. A method of operating a virtual reality ride system, comprising: receiving sensor data determined by one or more sensors using processing circuitry implemented in the virtual reality ride system while a ride vehicle is moving through a ride environment of the virtual reality ride system; using the processing circuitry to predict, based at least in part on the sensor data received from the one or more sensors, a magnitude of movement that the ride vehicle will experience at some time during a prediction horizon; determining, using the processing circuitry, a target perceived magnitude of movement corresponding to the time during the prediction horizon by, at least in part, applying one or more movement exaggeration factors to the magnitude of movement that the ride vehicle is predicted to experience at the time during the prediction horizon; as well as The processing circuitry is used to determine movement-exaggerated virtual reality content to be presented to an occupant of the ride vehicle at the time by adapting default virtual reality content corresponding to the time during the prediction horizon based at least in part on a magnitude of movement perceived by the target.

13. The method of operating the virtual reality ride system of claim 12, comprising using the processing circuitry to direct an electronic display carried by the ride vehicle to display the moving exaggerated virtual reality content at the time.

14. The method of operating the virtual reality ride system of claim 12, wherein: The virtual reality ride system is a roller coaster ride system, a lazy river ride system, a log flume ride system, a boat ride system, a drop tower ride system, a pendulum ride system, a swing ride system, an off-road vehicle ride system, or a robotic arm ride system.

15. The method of operating the virtual reality ride system of claim 12, comprising: using the processing circuitry to predict, based at least in part on the sensor data received from the one or more sensors, additional magnitudes of movement that the ride vehicle will experience at additional times during the prediction horizon; determining, using the processing circuitry, additional target-perceived magnitudes of movement corresponding to the additional times during the prediction horizon by, at least in part, applying the one or more movement exaggeration factors to the additional magnitudes of movement that the ride vehicle is predicted to experience at the additional times during the prediction horizon; as well as The processing circuitry is used to determine additional movement-exaggerated virtual reality content to be presented to an occupant of the ride vehicle at the additional time by adapting default virtual reality content corresponding to the additional time during the prediction horizon based at least in part on the magnitude of movement perceived by the additional target.

16. The method of operating the virtual reality ride system of claim 12, comprising: Using the processing circuitry to predict a direction of movement that the ride vehicle will experience at the time during the prediction horizon based at least in part on the sensor data received from the one or more sensors, wherein adapting the default virtual reality content to determine the movement exaggerated virtual reality content comprises: causing the default virtual reality content to shift in a direction corresponding to the direction of movement that the ride vehicle is predicted to experience at the time; and The default virtual reality content is shifted a distance corresponding to the target perceived magnitude of movement that is different than the magnitude of movement that the ride vehicle is predicted to experience at the time.

17. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a virtual reality ride system, wherein: The instructions include the following instructions: determining, using the one or more processors, sensor data measured by one or more sensors while a ride vehicle is transporting a rider through a ride environment of the virtual reality ride system; determining, using the one or more processors, a predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle predicted to occur during a subsequent time period based at least in part on the sensor data measured by the one or more sensors; as well as Determining, using the one or more processors, motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content based at least in part on the predicted magnitude of movement, such that presentation of the motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content to the rider results in a perceived magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle that is different than the predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle.

18. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, comprising instructions for directing, using the one or more processors, an electronic display carried by the ride vehicle to display the movement-exaggerated virtual reality graphical content during the subsequent time period in which the predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle is predicted to occur.

19. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein: The instructions for determining the movement of the exaggerated virtual reality image content include the following instructions: determining a target magnitude of the perceived magnitude of movement that is different from the predicted magnitude of movement by, at least in part, applying one or more movement exaggeration factors to the predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle; as well as The default virtual reality image content corresponding to the subsequent period is shifted by a distance corresponding to the target magnitude of the perceived movement magnitude that is different from the predicted movement magnitude of the ride vehicle.

20. The tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, comprising instructions for using the one or more processors to determine a predicted direction of movement of the ride vehicle predicted to occur during the subsequent time period based at least in part on the sensor data measured by the one or more sensors, wherein The instructions for determining the movement of the exaggerated virtual reality image content include the following instructions: causing the default virtual reality image content corresponding to the subsequent time period to shift in a direction corresponding to the predicted direction of movement of the ride vehicle predicted to occur during the subsequent time period; as well as The default virtual reality image content corresponding to the subsequent period is shifted by a distance corresponding to a target magnitude of the perceived movement magnitude that is different from the predicted movement magnitude of the ride vehicle.

21. A virtual reality ride system comprising: a ride vehicle configured to support an occupant and traverse a ride environment; an electronic display configured to present graphical content to the rider being carried by the ride vehicle through the ride environment; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the electronic display and to a sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to determine sensor data indicative of a movement profile of the ride vehicle in the ride environment, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determining a predicted ride vehicle trajectory of the ride vehicle within the ride environment based on the sensor data indicative of the movement profile of the ride vehicle and a ride vehicle movement prediction model, wherein the predicted ride vehicle trajectory corresponds to a predicted magnitude of movement of the ride vehicle during a predicted movement duration; determining a target perceived movement magnitude greater than the predicted movement magnitude; and Motion-exaggerated image content to be presented on the electronic display during the predicted motion duration is determined by adjusting default image content to incorporate the magnitude of motion perceived by the target.

22. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The transit movement prediction model describes at least one relationship between the sensor data and the predicted magnitude of movement.

23. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The predicted ride vehicle trajectory indicates that the ride vehicle is expected to move along a predicted direction of movement by the predicted magnitude of movement.

24. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The one or more processors are configured to determine a magnitude of movement perceived by the target that is greater than the predicted magnitude of movement by applying a movement exaggeration factor to the predicted magnitude of movement.

25. The virtual reality ride system of claim 24, wherein: The motion exaggeration factor includes an offset value that biases the target's perceived motion magnitude relative to the predicted motion magnitude, a gain value that scales the target's perceived motion magnitude relative to the predicted motion magnitude, or both.

26. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The one or more processors are configured to direct the electronic display to display the motion-exaggerated image content during the predicted motion duration corresponding to the predicted motion magnitude.

27. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The motion-exaggerated image content is translated relative to the default image content by a distance corresponding to the magnitude of motion perceived by the target.

28. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The sensor data indicates an orientation of the ride vehicle, a location of the ride vehicle, previous movement characteristics of the ride vehicle, current movement characteristics of the ride vehicle within the ride environment, or a combination thereof.

29. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The electronic display comprises a headset display implemented in a headset.

30. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The electronic display includes a vehicle display integrated with the ride vehicle.

31. The virtual reality ride system of claim 21, wherein: The riding environment includes a water riding environment.

32. A virtual reality ride system comprising: an electronic display configured to present image content to an occupant; a ride vehicle configured to support the rider and traverse a ride environment; as well as a virtual reality processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the electronic display and to one or more sensors, wherein the one or more sensors are configured to determine sensor data indicative of a current movement profile of the ride vehicle, and wherein the virtual reality processing circuitry is configured to: receiving, from the sensor, the sensor data indicative of the current movement profile of the vehicle of transport; generating a predicted movement profile for the ride vehicle by using the sensor data in a ride vehicle movement prediction model, wherein the predicted movement profile indicates that the ride vehicle is expected to move a predicted movement magnitude during a predicted movement duration; determining a target perceived movement magnitude greater than the predicted movement magnitude; and Motion-exaggerated image content to be presented on the electronic display during the predicted motion duration is determined, wherein the motion-exaggerated image content corresponds to a magnitude of motion perceived by the target.

33. The virtual reality ride system of claim 32, wherein: The ride environment comprises a water ride environment, and wherein the ride vehicle comprises a boat ride vehicle.

34. The virtual reality ride system of claim 32, comprising said one or more sensors, wherein: The one or more sensors include an inertial motion sensor, a proximity sensor, or a position sensor.

35. The virtual reality ride system of claim 32, wherein: The virtual reality processing circuit system is configured to determine a movement magnitude perceived by the target that is greater than the predicted movement magnitude by applying a movement exaggeration factor to the predicted movement magnitude, and wherein the movement exaggeration factor comprises an offset value or a gain value.

36. A tangible, non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receiving sensor data indicative of movement characteristics of a ride vehicle through a ride environment, wherein receiving the sensor data from one or more sensors associated with the ride vehicle and configured to determine data corresponding to a movement profile of the ride vehicle; generating a predicted movement profile for the ride vehicle based on the sensor data, wherein the predicted movement profile indicates that the ride vehicle is expected to move a predicted movement magnitude during a predicted movement duration; determining a target perceived motion magnitude that is greater than the predicted motion magnitude by applying a motion exaggeration factor to the predicted motion magnitude; and A motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content incorporating the magnitude of the target-perceived movement is determined, wherein the motion-exaggerated virtual reality image content is configured to be presented to an occupant via an electronic display during the predicted movement duration.

37. The tangible non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 36, wherein: The machine-readable instructions are configured to cause the one or more processors to generate the predicted movement profile by inputting a default movement profile for the ride vehicle and the sensor data into a ride vehicle movement prediction model.

38. The tangible non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 36, wherein: The electronic display comprises a headset display integrated with a head mounted device, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the sensor data from a sensor of the headset display.

39. The tangible non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 36, wherein: The riding environment includes a water riding environment.

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