Overlay Engine for Artificial Reality Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional artificial reality systems do not provide users with a way to determine their location with respect to physical objects in their environment, leading to increased risk of collisions and user dissatisfaction due to the obscuration of physical objects by virtual content.
Innovation Solution
An overlay engine generates and overlays image data representing physical objects onto the artificial reality content, allowing users to visualize their surroundings without interrupting their experience, which can be activated via user input or automatically when approaching physical objects or virtual boundaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If artificial reality content is presented to fully immerse the user, then the immersive experience is improved, but the user's ability to perceive physical objects and avoid collisions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the visual information by separating artificial reality content from physical environment representations. The HMD displays artificial reality content while simultaneously capturing and processing separate image data of the physical environment, allowing both to coexist without interference. This segmentation enables the user to access physical environment information on demand without compromising the immersive artificial reality experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism - the image capture device and processing system - that mediates between the artificial reality content and the physical environment. The captured image data serves as an intermediary representation that can be overlaid or displayed separately, allowing the user to perceive physical objects without directly viewing the actual physical environment, thus maintaining immersion while ensuring safety.
2Reliability
If the user temporarily removes or displaces the HMD to determine their location, then collision avoidance is improved, but the artificial reality experience is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by capturing and processing image data of the physical environment in advance, before the user needs to check their location. The HMD continuously or periodically captures image data and processes it to identify physical objects and the user's position relative to them. This preliminary preparation allows the user to quickly access location information without interrupting their artificial reality experience, as the data is already prepared and ready for immediate display.
3Reliability
If overlay image data is continuously displayed to show physical objects, then collision avoidance is improved, but the artificial reality content visibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by displaying overlay image data at specific intervals or triggered by specific conditions rather than continuously. The overlay can be activated when the user approaches certain areas, when physical objects are detected in the user's path, or on user request. This periodic display maintains artificial reality content visibility while providing collision avoidance information when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by selectively overlaying image data only in specific regions or contexts where it is most needed. Rather than uniformly overlaying the entire field of view, the system can focus overlay elements on specific physical objects or areas of concern, preserving the visibility and quality of artificial reality content in other regions while still providing necessary spatial awareness information.
Data Source
AI summary
An artificial reality system includes a head mounted display (HMD) and a physical overlay engine that generates overlay image data, referred to herein as a physical overlay image, corresponding to the physical objects in a three-dimensional (3D) environment. In response to an activation condition, a rendering engine of the artificial reality system renders the overlay image data to overlay artificial reality content for display on the HMD, thereby apprising a user of the HMD of their position with respect to the physical objects in the 3D environment.