Proxemic Device Federation via Micro-Mobility Actions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital devices hinder natural interactions among small groups of people due to awkwardness in manipulating, sharing, and displaying information across multiple devices, making conversations stilted and unnatural.
Innovation Solution
A server processes image data to determine user formations and device relationships based on proxemics, establishing a federation among devices for seamless content sharing through micro-mobility actions, allowing devices to communicate and render content in a manner that simulates natural human interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If digital devices are used for information sharing and display, then information can be shared among users, but interactions become stilted and unnatural due to awkward manipulation and sharing processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations (physically moving devices, manual file sharing) with automated sensor-based detection and wireless communication systems. Sensors detect device proximity and orientation automatically, triggering content sharing without manual intervention, thus substituting mechanical manipulation with automated electronic detection and transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables devices to automatically detect their own spatial relationships with other devices through onboard sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes, proximity sensors) and autonomously initiate sharing protocols based on detected proxemics, eliminating the need for users to manually configure sharing settings or physically connect devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple devices are used for content display, then more users can access information, but the complexity of manipulating and sharing content across devices increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary wireless communication system and centralized coordination protocol that mediates between multiple devices and users. This intermediary layer automatically manages content routing, device pairing, and synchronization based on sensor data, reducing the complexity users would otherwise face in directly managing multi-device interactions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a universal sharing protocol that works across different device types (smartphones, tablets, laptops, displays) by detecting their spatial relationships and automatically adapting the sharing mechanism, allowing one content source to serve multiple different device recipients without device-specific configuration.
3Adaptability or versatility
If devices remain stationary, then setup is simple, but they cannot adapt to changing user formations and interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the device network dynamic by continuously monitoring spatial relationships through sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes, proximity detectors) and automatically reconfiguring sharing relationships as devices and users move. The system adapts to changing formations in real-time, transitioning from static to dynamic connectivity based on detected proxemics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where sensors continuously monitor device position, orientation, and proximity to other devices, and this feedback information is used to automatically adjust sharing protocols and content routing. The system responds to environmental changes and user movements by modifying its operational state based on sensor input.
Data Source
AI summary
The subject disclosure is directed towards co-located collaboration/data sharing that is based upon detecting the proxemics of people and/or the proxemics of devices. A federation of devices is established based upon proxemics, such as when the users have entered into a formation based upon distance between them and orientation. User devices may share content with other devices in the federation based upon micro-mobility actions performed on the devices, e.g., tilting and/or otherwise interacting with a sending device.