Volumetric Hand Tracking Pad for HMD Gaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gaming systems that require users to wear gloves or attach devices to their hands for hand tracking face hygiene issues and user discomfort, as well as limitations in not being suitable for all users.
Innovation Solution
A pad device that senses hand gestures without direct contact, using sensors and emitters to track hand positions and orientations within a volume, allowing for volumetric sensing and gesture recognition without the need for wearable devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If users wear gloves or attach devices to their hands for hand tracking, then hand tracking accuracy is improved, but user comfort and hygiene are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the wearable glove or hand-attached tracking device and extracts only the essential function of hand tracking. Instead of requiring the user to wear a device, the system uses a camera to capture images of the user's hand and processes these images to track hand position, orientation, and gestures, thereby eliminating the comfort and hygiene issues while maintaining tracking functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical wearable tracking device with an optical system. A camera captures visual information of the hand, and image processing algorithms analyze the hand's position, orientation, and gestures. This substitution eliminates the need for physical contact between the tracking device and the user's hand, improving comfort and hygiene while maintaining measurement precision
2Measurement precision
If wearable hand tracking devices are used, then hand gesture recognition is improved, but hygiene issues worsen when used repeatedly or shared between users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the wearable component that causes hygiene issues and extracts only the necessary hand tracking function. The system uses a camera to capture hand images and processes them to recognize gestures, eliminating the need for users to wear shared devices while maintaining gesture recognition accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary optical system (camera and image processing) between the user's hand and the tracking system. This intermediary captures hand information without physical contact, preventing the transmission of germs or contaminants that would occur with shared wearable devices, thereby resolving hygiene issues while maintaining gesture recognition capability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and hygienic hand gesture tracking, allowing users to interact with virtual environments without the need for wearable devices, improving user comfort and accessibility.
Implementation Method 1
A pad device 102 is used to determine a position and orientation of a hand of a user. The user carries the pad device 102 in his/her hand and makes hand gestures on top of the pad device 102. The hand gestures are tracked using one or more mechanisms, e.g., a camera, emitters and sensors, etc.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for enhancing detection of a user's hand relative to a head-mounted display (HMD) is described. The method includes sensing a disrupted portion of energy by sensors integrated within a pad device. The disrupted portion of the energy is generated when the hand of the user interferes with the energy. The plurality of sensors that sense the disrupted portion of the energy produce an energy image that mirrors a current position of the hand. The method includes repeating the sensing continuously to produce a stream of energy images. The method includes communicating the stream of energy images to a game console for processing each of the energy images to produce a model of the hand and movement of the model of the hand. The model of the hand is at least partially rendered as a virtual hand in a virtual environment that is displayed in the HMD.