Multi-Modal Virtual Assistant Integrating Object and Facial Recognition

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing virtual personal assistants lack the ability to comprehend non-verbal conversational cues and maintain context over extended interactions, limiting their natural interaction with users.

Innovation Solution

A multi-modal virtual personal assistant system that integrates object recognition and facial expression recognition, capable of receiving and interpreting various sensory inputs including audio, visual, and tactile data, to determine user intent and emotional state.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If virtual personal assistants use only verbal inputs, then the system complexity is low, but the ability to comprehend non-verbal conversational cues is missing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveability to comprehend non-verbal conversational cuesVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple input modalities (audio, visual, tactile) into a unified virtual personal assistant system. The system integrates speech recognition, facial expression recognition, object recognition, and tactile sensing to comprehensively capture both verbal and non-verbal conversational cues, resolving the contradiction between versatility and complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The virtual personal assistant is designed with multi-functionality to handle diverse input types through a single unified system. The assistant can process speech commands, interpret facial expressions, recognize objects in the environment, and detect tactile inputs, making it universally adaptable to various conversational contexts without requiring separate specialized systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Measurement precision

If virtual personal assistants process multiple sensory inputs, then the understanding of user intent and emotional state improves, but the processing time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunderstanding of user intent and emotional stateVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the sensory input processing into distinct independent modules: audio processing for speech and emotional cues, visual processing for facial expressions and object recognition, and tactile processing for physical inputs. Each module operates independently and concurrently, allowing the system to process multiple sensory inputs simultaneously rather than sequentially, thus reducing overall processing time while maintaining comprehensive understanding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary processing of sensory inputs by continuously monitoring and pre-processing audio, visual, and tactile streams before a complete interaction occurs. This allows the virtual personal assistant to start understanding user intent and emotional state early in the interaction, reducing the time needed for comprehensive analysis when the user actually needs a response.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If the virtual personal assistant integrates multiple recognition systems, then the interaction naturalness improves, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinteraction naturalnessVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a central coordination module that acts as an intermediary between the various recognition systems (audio, visual, tactile). This mediator integrates the outputs from different recognition systems and presents a unified interpretation to the virtual personal assistant, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining the naturalness of multi-modal interactions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12282606B2VPA with integrated object recognition and facial expression recognition
Publication Date: 2025.04.22 SRI INTERNATIONAL
  • US12282606B2 patent drawing
  • US12282606B2 patent drawing
  • US12282606B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Methods, computing devices, and computer-program products are provided for implementing a virtual personal assistant. In various implementations, a virtual personal assistant can be configured to receive sensory input, including at least two different types of information. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine semantic information from the sensory input, and to identify a context-specific framework. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine a current intent. Determining the current intent can include using the semantic information and the context-specific framework. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine a current input state. Determining the current input state can include using the semantic information and one or more behavioral models. The behavioral models can include one or more interpretations of previously-provided semantic information. The virtual personal assistant can further be configured to determine an action using the current intent and the current input state.