Information Processing Device for Virtual Skeleton Motion Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing technologies for learning body movements, such as displaying instructor and user exercise videos side by side, lack effectiveness in accurately guiding users to mimic instructor movements.

Innovation Solution

An information processing apparatus and method that generates an adjusted second virtual object by aligning feature points of a first virtual object reflecting a body motion with a second virtual object, superimposed on the first, to enhance learning by accurately matching instructor and user movements.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If instructor and user exercise videos are displayed side by side, then users can learn exercise movements, but the learning effectiveness is insufficient for accurately mimicking instructor movements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemovement alignment accuracyVSAvoidlearning effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a virtual copy of the user's body movements using skeleton tracking technology. The user's real-world movements are captured and represented as a virtual skeleton model that can be precisely overlaid with the instructor's virtual skeleton, enabling accurate movement comparison and alignment without the limitations of side-by-side video display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from two-dimensional video display to three-dimensional spatial overlay by projecting both instructor and user skeleton information onto a common three-dimensional coordinate system. This dimensional transformation allows for precise spatial alignment and comparison of movements across different depths and angles, significantly improving movement alignment accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Loss of information

If video display methods are used for movement learning, then users can observe instructor exercises, but accurate mimicry of movements is difficult to achieve

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemovement detail accuracyVSAvoidmovement alignment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical video display system with an information-based skeleton overlay system. Instead of displaying visual video images that lose spatial and temporal precision, the system uses processed skeleton data points that accurately represent body joint positions and movements, enabling precise measurement and comparison of movement alignment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces skeleton information as an intermediary representation between the user's actual movements and the learning process. This intermediary layer captures essential movement data while filtering out irrelevant visual noise, allowing for precise measurement and comparison without the information loss inherent in video display methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Loss of time

If conventional video display is used, then exercise learning is possible, but immediate feedback and guidance are limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefeedback timingVSAvoidlearning effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements real-time feedback by continuously overlaying the user's virtual skeleton with the instructor's virtual skeleton during exercise execution. This immediate visual feedback allows users to see their movement deviations from the correct form in real-time, enabling instant correction and significantly improving learning effectiveness compared to delayed video-based feedback.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP4151291B1Information processing device, information processing method, and program
Publication Date: 2025.07.16 SONY GROUP CORP
  • EP4151291B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4151291B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4151291B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program capable of providing more effective learning content in learning motion of a body. An adjustment unit generates an adjusted second virtual object by adjusting, on the basis of feature point information of a first person included in a first virtual object reflecting a body motion of the first person, a second virtual object reflecting a body motion of a second person to be superimposed on the first virtual object. The technology according to the present disclosure can be applied to, for example, an information processing apparatus such as a smartphone.