Remote-Controlled Toy Augmented Reality Overlay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Remotely controlled toys with low-resolution video cameras and limited functionality lead to user boredom, as users often resort to only using the locomotive aspects due to bandwidth restraints and manufacturing costs, lacking engaging applications for the additional features like video cameras.
Innovation Solution
An entertainment system that integrates a remotely controlled toy with an entertainment device, such as a PSP, using motion sensors and augmented reality to create immersive gaming experiences, allowing users to control the toy within virtual environments and interact with augmented reality zones, enhancing the toy's functionality and user engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If low-resolution video cameras are used in remotely controlled toys, then manufacturing costs and bandwidth requirements are reduced, but image quality and user engagement deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an entertainment device as an intermediary that receives video feed from the toy's camera and processes it to generate augmented reality overlays. This mediator enhances the low-resolution camera output by adding virtual elements, effectively improving the perceived image quality and user engagement without requiring a high-resolution camera in the toy itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual copies and augmentations of the real-world video feed by generating computer-generated images that are superimposed on the captured video. These virtual elements (AR zones, objects, effects) are copied onto the video stream to enhance the viewing experience and compensate for the low resolution of the original camera feed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional functionality is added to remotely controlled toys, then user engagement and entertainment value improve, but device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The entertainment device serves multiple functions: it acts as a video receiver, AR processing unit, control interface, and game engine. By consolidating these functions into a single device rather than distributing them across the toy and controller, the system achieves versatility without proportionally increasing the complexity of the remotely controlled toy itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The entertainment device acts as an intermediary that handles the complex processing and augmentation tasks, allowing the remotely controlled toy to remain relatively simple while still providing rich functionality through the combined system. The mediator absorbs the complexity of AR processing, game logic, and multimedia handling.
3Measurement precision
If video cameras with higher resolution are used, then image quality improves, but bandwidth requirements and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transmitting high-resolution video from the toy, the system transmits lower-resolution video and generates high-quality visual content through AR overlays and computer-generated images. This partial action approach transmits only the essential video feed while generating additional visual detail and enhancement through processing on the entertainment device, reducing bandwidth requirements while maintaining or improving perceived image quality.
4Ease of operation
If the toy is used only for locomotion, then simplicity is maintained, but user engagement and entertainment value deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The remotely controlled toy is integrated with the entertainment device to create a multi-functional system that combines physical locomotion control with AR gaming, video streaming, and interactive scenarios. The toy remains simple to operate for basic movement, while the integrated system provides diverse entertainment modes including racing games, exploration, and AR interactions, significantly enhancing user engagement without complicating the basic operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An entertainment system comprises a remotely controlled toy having a video camera operable to capture video images of a real environment and an entertainment device operable to communicate using a data communications link with the remotely controlled toy, in which the device comprises transmitting means operable to transmit, via the data communications link, control data to the remotely controlled toy that relates to the control of the remotely controlled toy, receiving means operable to receive, from the data communications link, video images captured by the video camera—of the remotely controlled toy, detecting means operable to detect a real environment feature within the real environment, processing means operable to generate a virtual image feature in dependence upon the detected real environment feature, and displaying means operable to generate a combined display of the captured video images and the virtual image feature such that the virtual image feature is arranged with respect to the video images so as to correspond to the position of the real environment feature within the real environment.