Virtual Environment Simulation System Using Ontology-Based Procedural Models
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual reality technologies face challenges in creating realistic simulations of real-world environments for professional training, as they struggle to accurately model user interactions and consequences within these environments, limiting the complexity and realism of actions and interactions.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for simulating operative procedures in virtual environments using a data structure representing objects and their interactions, combined with a procedural model derived from descriptive ontologies, allowing for the rendering of scenarios within the virtual environment based on user actions, enabling more realistic and complex interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a video game engine is used to manage user actions in a virtual environment, then the system complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the realism and complexity of user interactions are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments user interactions into discrete action types (grasping, manipulating, moving objects) and models each with specific parameters. This allows the engine to handle complexity in a structured way while maintaining realism, as each action type can be simulated with appropriate physical constraints and consequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters to track and simulate the consequences of user actions, such as object positions, velocities, forces, and procedural states. By dynamically updating these parameters based on physics engine calculations, the system achieves realistic interaction outcomes without requiring infinite action definitions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of possible user actions in the virtual environment is increased to match real-world complexity, then the realism of the simulation is improved, but the system complexity and difficulty of implementation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a universal physics engine that can handle multiple types of interactions (collisions, grasping, manipulation, movement) through a unified set of physical laws and constraints. This allows the same engine infrastructure to support diverse action types without requiring separate simulation systems for each action category.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where user actions trigger physics calculations that determine object responses, which in turn update the virtual environment state. This feedback mechanism automatically generates realistic consequences for any user action without requiring pre-programmed response rules for every possible interaction scenario.
3Measurement precision
If the virtual environment accurately models physical objects and laws to represent reality, then the measurement precision and reliability of the simulation are improved, but the manufacturing precision and modeling complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates simplified digital copies of physical objects that capture essential physical properties (mass, shape, material characteristics) without requiring perfect geometric replication. These proxy models maintain sufficient accuracy for training purposes while reducing modeling complexity and computational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic physics models that automatically adjust object behavior based on real-time conditions (forces, velocities, constraints) rather than requiring static pre-computation of all possible states. This allows accurate physical simulation with relatively simple initial modeling, as the physics engine handles the complexity of realistic interactions dynamically.
Data Source
AI summary
A module for simulating an operative procedure within a virtual environment. The virtual environment is implemented by using a device for processing virtual environment data. The module includes: a module configured to obtain a data structure representing a set of objects of the virtual environment and having at least one relationship of interaction between at least two objects; a module configured to receive at least one scenario representing a procedure to be simulated, the scenario being defined on the basis of a descriptive ontology, the at least one scenario being obtained from at least one pre-determined procedural model; a module configured for the rendering, within the virtual environment, at least one portion of the scenario as a function of the set of objects of the virtual environment, the at least one procedural model and at least one action performed by at least one real user of the virtual environment.