Head-Mounted Display Virtual Object Positioning for Social Etiquette
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Solution Overview
Problem
In social environments, individuals often face the challenge of appearing engaged while actually focusing on information from their mobile devices without being perceived as rude, as conventional methods reveal their attention diversion through eye and facial movements.
Innovation Solution
A head-mounted display system that superimposes virtual objects over the faces of people in the vicinity, allowing users to appear socially engaged by displaying relevant information, such as email or social media, while maintaining eye contact, using rankings and motion tracking to adjust the display based on user preferences and environmental conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a person views information on a mobile device during social interaction, then the person can access information (email, social media), but the person appears rude or socially disengaged to others
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a head-mounted display as an intermediary device between the user and the information source. Instead of directly viewing mobile device screens, information is projected onto the user's visual field through the HMD, allowing access to email and social media without the obvious eye movements associated with mobile device usage. This intermediary solution resolves the contradiction by enabling information access while maintaining natural social eye contact.
2Ease of operation
If a person uses a head-mounted display to view information, then the person can access information discreetly, but the display may be visible to others revealing the attention diversion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the display visible only in the specific local region of the user's visual field while remaining invisible to others. The HMD projects information into the user's field of view in a location that only the user can perceive, maintaining discreet information access while preventing others from detecting the virtual display's presence.
3Ease of manufacture
If virtual objects are displayed over people's faces, then social engagement appearance is maintained, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making the virtual object display position adaptive rather than fixed. The system dynamically adjusts the position of virtual objects based on the user's eye movements and attention direction, allowing information to be displayed over people's faces when appropriate while automatically repositioning when the user looks elsewhere. This dynamic behavior maintains social etiquette without requiring complex manual control.
Data Source
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AI summary
Various arrangements are presented for positioning virtual objects displayed by a head-mounted display. A location of a person within a real-world scene may be determined. A virtual object may be displayed to a user such that the virtual object is superimposed over the face of the person.