Virtual Mobile Phone Interface for Immersive AR Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users immersed in virtual reality environments face challenges in accessing their mobile applications without breaking the immersive experience, due to limited app ecosystems on VR/AR/MR devices and resource constraints, and the need for developers to support additional platforms.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows users to interact with a virtual mobile phone within the VR/AR/MR environment, where the virtual mobile phone corresponds to their physical device, with input translation from VR/AR/MR headsets to mobile applications, enabling access to native mobile apps without requiring native app development on the headset, using a virtual machine on a server to host apps and an interface layer for input/output bridging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users take off their AR/VR/MR headset to use their physical mobile device, then they can access mobile applications, but the immersive experience is broken
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the mobile device interface within the VR/AR/MR environment. The virtual mobile phone replicates the visual appearance and functionality of a physical mobile device, allowing users to access applications through a virtual interface while remaining immersed in the artificial reality environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a virtual mobile device as an intermediary between the user and the physical mobile device. This virtual interface acts as a mediator that translates user interactions in the VR/AR/MR space into commands for the physical device, enabling application access without breaking immersion.
2Adaptability or versatility
If developers create native applications for AR/VR/MR headsets, then the application ecosystem expands, but development costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables a single mobile application to serve multiple platforms. By running the physical mobile device's applications through the virtual mobile phone interface, the same application can be accessed on both physical and virtual devices, eliminating the need for separate native development for AR/VR/MR platforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual mobile phone creates a copy of the mobile application interface and functionality within the VR/AR/MR environment. This allows existing mobile applications to be replicated and executed virtually, expanding the application ecosystem without requiring developers to create new native applications for each headset platform.
3Ease of operation
If applications are run on AR/VR/MR headsets, then direct access is enabled, but resource limitations are exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the resource-intensive application execution from the AR/VR/MR headset and relocates it to the physical mobile device. The headset only handles the virtual interface rendering and input translation, while the actual application processing occurs on the mobile device, reducing the resource burden on the headset.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques described herein enable a virtual mobile device representing a user's physical mobile device to be used in artificial reality, such as VR, MR, and AR. An artificial-reality head-mounted device worn by a user may present to the user a virtual mobile application on a virtual mobile device in a virtual environment. The virtual mobile application is a virtual representation of a mobile application that is native to an operating system of a physical mobile device. In particular embodiments, the mobile application may be hosted on a virtual machine for the operating system, which may be different from the operating system of the artificial-reality headset. The user may interact with the virtual mobile application in three-dimensional space. The artificial-reality device may translate the interactions into mobile-application-compatible data that can be understood by the mobile application. The mobile-application-compatible data is then sent to the native application for processing.