Dynamic Materialization of Physical Objects in Virtual Reality
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual reality (VR) systems cannot instantiate physical objects in the real world based on user interactions, limiting their utility and immersive experience.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to configure and instantiate physical components in a real-world environment using VR devices, with pose-adjusting units and mobile robotic devices to physically move and arrange objects, and sensory-generating devices to enhance the experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If current VR systems render VR imagery based on sensing physical objects in the real world, then the system can identify and display physical objects, but the system cannot allow users to create or configure objects in VR and instantiate those VR objects in the physical world
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a computing device as an intermediary between the VR device and physical components. The computing device receives instructions from the VR device, processes them to determine configuration parameters, and sends control signals to pose-adjusting units to physically adjust components. This intermediary architecture enables bidirectional interaction between virtual and physical domains without requiring direct complex coupling.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into distinct functional modules: a VR device for virtual interaction, a computing device for processing and coordination, pose-adjusting units for physical manipulation, and sensory-generating devices for feedback. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, enabling object configuration capability while managing overall system complexity through modular design.
2Ease of operation
If physical components are added to enable real-world interaction with VR, then the utility and immersive experience of VR is enhanced, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pose-adjusting units are designed as multi-functional components that can perform multiple operations including translating, rotating, and tilting physical components. These units serve both as actuators for positioning components and as interfaces for implementing various VR-configured scenarios. This universality reduces the need for separate specialized devices for each function, managing hardware complexity while enhancing interaction capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensory-generating devices that provide feedback to users about the physical state of components and their correspondence to virtual objects. This feedback mechanism allows users to verify and adjust their interactions, improving ease of operation by making the system's state transparent and controllable, thereby justifying the added hardware complexity through enhanced user experience.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple physical components are configured at different locations with various parameters, then the realism of VR interaction is improved, but the precision required for configuration increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual mechanical positioning and measurement with automated electronic control. The computing device calculates precise configuration parameters based on virtual object positions and sends automated control signals to pose-adjusting units. This substitution eliminates the need for manual measurement and positioning, achieving high positioning accuracy while reducing the difficulty of configuration through software-based parameter management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital twin or virtual representation of the physical environment and components. Virtual objects in the VR device correspond to physical components in the real world, allowing configuration to be performed in the virtual domain where measurement and positioning are computationally determined rather than physically measured. This copying approach simplifies the configuration process while ensuring precise correspondence between virtual and physical elements.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment provides a method for facilitating real-world interaction with virtual reality. During operation, the system receives, by a computing device from a virtual reality device associated with a user, instructions to configure physical components, wherein for a first physical component at a first location, the instructions indicate a type and an orientation, and wherein for a second physical component located at a second location, the instructions indicate a type, a length of extension, and an angle. The system executes, by a pose-adjusting unit, the instructions, which involves: physically moving the first physical component to the indicated orientation at the first location; physically extending the second physical component from the second location by the indicated length; and physically rotating the extended second physical component by the indicated angle. The system renders, on the virtual reality device, the configured physical components.