Spatial Avatar Orientation by Gaze Focus in Virtual Meetings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual meetings induce cognitive fatigue due to users' inability to distinguish the focus of attention of remote participants, leading to increased mental strain compared to in-person meetings.
Innovation Solution
Display avatars representing remote users in a spatial configuration and at orientations according to their focus of attention, determined through gaze tracking and facial expressions, to facilitate easier identification of participants' attention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If remote users are displayed in traditional 2D video conference format, then device complexity is reduced, but users cannot distinguish the focus of attention of remote participants leading to cognitive fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional 2D video display to 3D spatial avatar representation. Avatars are positioned in a three-dimensional space that mirrors the physical meeting arrangement, allowing users to perceive focus of attention through spatial orientation and gaze direction. This dimensional transformation enables intuitive understanding of remote participants' attention without requiring complex additional interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs visual indicators including color-coded gaze indicators and attention markers to show where remote users are looking. These visual cues change based on the detected focus of attention, providing immediate perceptible information about remote participants' attention state without requiring users to interpret complex video feeds.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If gaze tracking and facial expression analysis are implemented to determine focus of attention, then cognitive fatigue is reduced, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces avatar representations as intermediaries between the actual remote users and local users. The avatars embody the focus of attention information detected from remote users' gaze and facial expressions, translating complex biometric data into simple spatial and visual cues that local users can intuitively understand, thereby reducing cognitive processing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical video conferencing interfaces with sensor-based detection systems. Instead of requiring users to manually indicate their attention or interpret video feeds, the system automatically detects gaze direction and facial expressions using cameras and sensors, then translates this data into spatial avatar orientations and visual indicators.
3Productivity
If avatars are displayed in spatial configuration according to focus of attention, then meeting experience is enhanced, but information processing and real-time updates become more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-establishes the spatial configuration framework and avatar representations before the meeting begins. The system pre-defines the three-dimensional space, avatar models, and spatial relationships corresponding to physical seating arrangements. This preliminary setup allows real-time focus of attention data to be directly mapped to pre-configured spatial positions, reducing processing complexity during the actual meeting.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements real-time feedback loops where avatar orientations and positions are continuously updated based on detected gaze and facial expression data. This dynamic feedback system automatically adjusts the spatial representation to match current attention states, providing continuous information about remote participants' focus without requiring manual intervention or complex post-processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A focus of attention of each of a number of remote users participating with a local user in a virtual meeting is received. A spatial configuration of avatars representing the remote users is identified according to the focus of attention of each remote user. An orientation of each avatar in the identified spatial configuration is identified according to the identified spatial configuration and according to the focus of attention of the remote user that the avatar represents. The avatars are displayed in the identified spatial configuration on a display. Each avatar is displayed in the identified spatial configuration on the display at the identified orientation.