HMD Notification System for External Guardian Alerts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users wearing high-immersion head-mounted displays (HMDs) often forget the passage of time, and existing HMDs do not allow parental guardians or others not wearing HMDs to detect if the user continues to wear the device after a predetermined time has passed, posing a concern for timely intervention.
Innovation Solution
A head-mounted display system that includes a wearing time determination block and a notification block, which executes a first notification to the user after a certain time and a second notification, imperceptible to the user, to a person not wearing the HMD if the wearing time exceeds a longer duration, allowing external monitoring and prompting for device removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a notification is given to the user when wearing time exceeds predetermined duration, then the user becomes aware of prolonged use, but the person not wearing HMD cannot detect whether the user continues to wear it
Solution Approach 1:
The notification system is segmented into two distinct notification types: first notification to the user when wearing time exceeds first time, and second notification to the person not wearing HMD when wearing time exceeds second time. This segmentation allows each notification to serve its specific purpose and audience, resolving the information loss problem while maintaining manageable system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary notification mechanism that communicates the user's wearing state to persons not wearing the HMD. The notification block acts as a mediator that translates internal wearing time data into external notifications, enabling indirect communication about the user's state without requiring direct observation by the guardian
2Productivity
If the HMD provides high immersion video images, then the user experiences enhanced engagement, but the user forgets the passage of time
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms that interrupt the user's immersive experience at predetermined time intervals. The first notification provides feedback to the user about elapsed time, while the second notification provides feedback to the guardian about the user's continuous wearing state, thereby restoring time awareness without compromising the overall engagement experience
3Productivity
If the notification is made visually imperceptible to the user, then the user's immersion is maintained, but the notification must be delivered through alternative means
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces visual notification mechanisms with auditory notification mechanisms for the second notification to the person not wearing HMD. This substitution allows the notification to be delivered without visual disruption to the user's immersive experience, maintaining engagement while ensuring the guardian is informed through alternative sensory channels
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a head-mounted display, a notification apparatus, a notification system, a notification method, and a program that allow a person not wearing a head-mounted display to know that a user still continues to wear a head-mounted display after a notification that a wearing time of the head-mounted display of this user has exceeded a predetermined time. A wearing time determination block determines a wearing time of the head-mounted display of the user. A notification block executes a first notification to the user if the wearing time has exceeded a first time and, when the wearing time has exceeded a second time longer than the first time, and executes a second notification to a person not wearing the head-mounted display.