Real-Time Virtual Product Visualization Through Physical Objects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Brick-and-mortar stores struggle to display the extensive product catalog of online retailers due to space constraints, leading to out-of-stock issues and limited customer interaction with desired product configurations, while existing digital content creation tools are complex and require expert knowledge.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a sensing platform with physical objects representing products to generate real-time, photorealistic visualizations of products in a virtual scene through ray tracing, allowing customers to interactively explore and arrange products in a virtual environment using tangible user interfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If brick-and-mortar stores display physical products to enable customer interaction, then customer interaction and product visualization are improved, but space requirements increase and product catalog coverage is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates physical miniature models (e.g., tiny furniture pieces, toy cars) that represent full-sized products. These miniatures serve as copies that convey product information and enable customer interaction without requiring the actual full-sized products to be displayed in the store, thus resolving the space constraint while maintaining customer engagement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from two-dimensional product images on screens to three-dimensional physical miniatures that customers can touch, rotate, and manipulate. This dimensional shift enables intuitive spatial understanding of products without requiring physical display of the actual products, addressing both the interaction quality and space utilization contradictions
2Loss of information
If brick-and-mortar stores display physical products, then product visualization quality is improved, but the ability to display extensive product catalog is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Physical miniatures serve as information carriers that represent products from the extensive online catalog. Each miniature model provides tactile feedback and spatial representation while linking to detailed digital product information, enabling customers to explore the full catalog without requiring physical display of all products
Solution Approach 2:
The physical miniatures act as intermediaries between the customer and the product catalog. They provide immediate tactile interaction while simultaneously linking to comprehensive digital product information, bridging the gap between limited physical display space and extensive product catalog
3Loss of information
If digital content creation tools are used for product visualization, then product representation quality is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complex digital modeling software that requires expert knowledge, the system uses simple physical miniature models that customers can easily manipulate. These tangible miniatures automatically generate simplified digital representations through image capture and processing, reversing the traditional workflow from complex digital creation to simple physical representation
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional workflow requires customers to learn complex digital tools to create product visualizations. This patent inverts the approach by providing simple physical miniatures that automatically generate digital representations through automated image capture and processing, eliminating the need for customer expertise in complex software
Data Source
AI summary
Method and systems for visualizing product(s) in a virtual scene are provided. A first product is visualized in the virtual scene by obtaining, from a sensing platform having positioned thereon a first physical object representing the first product, a first pose of the first physical object and a first identifier of the first product; identifying, using the first identifier and from among a plurality of three-dimensional (3D) models corresponding to a respective plurality of products, a first 3D model corresponding to the first product; generating a visualization of product(s) in the virtual scene at least in part by: generating, at a position and orientation in the virtual scene determined from the first pose of the first physical object, a visualization of the first product using the first 3D model of the first product; and providing the visualization to a display device for displaying the visualization.