Projection-Mapped Virtual World Simulator for Shared 3D Immersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional augmented reality (AR) solutions require users to wear AR devices or use personal devices to experience virtual environments, which are inconvenient and limit shared experiences, especially in settings where sanitation is a concern, and fail to provide true 3D immersion.
Innovation Solution
The development of virtual-world simulators that use tracking systems and projection devices to conform virtual effects to the 3D geometry of real-world venues from the vantage point of each user, allowing for immersive 3D experiences without the need for AR devices or personal equipment, and enabling multiple users to share the same experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional AR devices are used to experience virtual environments, then users can see virtual projections overlaid on real-world objects, but the experience is limited to 2D digital augmentations and requires wearing costly and inconvenient equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a full-scale physical copy of the virtual environment using projection mapping technology. Instead of displaying virtual objects on small device screens, the system projects life-sized virtual environments onto physical surfaces in the real world, allowing users to experience the virtual environment with their naked eyes without wearing AR devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from 2D digital displays on device screens to 3D full-scale physical projections in real space. By mapping virtual environments onto physical surfaces in three-dimensional space, the system creates an immersive experience that occupies the same dimensional space as the user, eliminating the need for small 2D screens.
2Productivity
If AR devices are shared by multiple users, then resource utilization improves, but sanitation concerns and inconvenience increase due to required sanitation procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a shared physical projection environment that can be simultaneously experienced by multiple users without physical contact. Since the virtual environment is projected onto external surfaces rather than displayed on personal device screens, multiple users can view the same content from different angles simultaneously, eliminating the need for device sharing and associated sanitation concerns.
3Reliability
If personal AR devices are required for each user, then individual viewing experience is maintained, but multiple users cannot share the same experience and device costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual viewing experiences into a single shared physical projection environment. By projecting the virtual environment onto large physical surfaces, the system allows multiple users to simultaneously experience the same virtual content from different positions and angles, combining what would otherwise require multiple separate AR devices into one shared installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The projection mapping system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it displays the virtual environment for multiple users, adapts to different viewing positions, and can be configured for various group sizes. This universal system replaces the need for multiple specialized personal AR devices with a single multi-functional projection installation.
4Reliability
If 2D digital augmentations are used on AR devices, then virtual projections can be displayed, but true 3D virtual experience and immersion are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms 2D digital projections into 3D immersive experiences by mapping virtual environments onto physical surfaces in three-dimensional space. The projection system accounts for the geometry and spatial relationships of the projected surfaces, creating a volumetric virtual environment that users can perceive depth and spatial relationships in, rather than flat 2D images on screens.
Data Source
AI summary
In one implementation, a virtual-world simulator includes a computing platform having a hardware processor and a memory storing a software code, a tracking system communicatively coupled to the computing platform, and a projection device communicatively coupled to the computing platform. The hardware processor is configured to execute the software code to obtain a map of a geometry of a real-world venue including the virtual-world simulator, to identify one or more virtual effects for display in the real-world venue, and to use the tracking system to track a moving perspective of one of a user in the real-world venue or a camera in the real-world venue. The hardware processor is further configured to execute the software code to control the projection device to simulate a virtual-world by conforming the identified one or more virtual effects to the geometry of the real-world venue from a present vantage point of the tracked moving perspective.