VR Locomotion via Ankle Tracking and Gesture Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual reality systems face limitations in allowing users to access virtual environments beyond the physical play space without causing motion sickness, particularly when using hand-held motion controllers for teleportation or trackpad locomotion.
Innovation Solution
A virtual reality system that uses 6 DOF motion trackers attached to the user's ankles or feet to translate natural running or walking motions into in-game movement, allowing hands to remain free for other tasks, and employs gesture recognition to determine movement speed and direction without the need for hand-held controllers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hand-held motion controllers are used for teleportation or trackpad locomotion, then users can access virtual environments beyond the physical play space, but users experience motion sickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces hand-held mechanical controllers with a mechanical tracking system attached to the user's body (head, torso, limbs) that automatically captures natural movement. This substitution eliminates the need for manual controller operation while preserving access to virtual environments, thereby reducing motion sickness caused by manual control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service locomotion by automatically tracking the user's natural body movements and translating them into virtual environment navigation. The user simply moves their body naturally, and the system self-adjusts the virtual camera position and movement, eliminating the need for manual controller input and reducing motion sickness.
2Ease of operation
If hand-held motion controllers are used, then users can control movement in VR environment, but users' hands are occupied and cannot interact with physical objects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the movement control function from hand-held controllers and relocates it to a body-mounted tracking system. This extraction frees the user's hands from controller operation while maintaining full movement control capability, allowing simultaneous interaction with both virtual and physical objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The body-mounted tracking system serves multiple functions: it controls virtual environment locomotion, tracks user pose for natural interaction, and frees hands for physical object manipulation. This multi-functional system replaces the single-function hand controller, providing both movement control and hand freedom.
3Device complexity
If the physical play space is limited, then the VR system is manageable, but users cannot access locations beyond the physical use space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the space limitation by adding a virtual dimension that extends beyond physical boundaries. The body-tracking system maps natural physical movements to virtual environment navigation, allowing users to access distant virtual locations while maintaining simple physical setup. This dimensional mapping enables unlimited virtual exploration within manageable physical constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual reality (VR) system includes: storage device for storing a plurality of gesture datasets including key points, and for storing a plurality of speed groupings data records for each stored gesture dataset; tracking pucks for receiving movement data related to a user's movement in the VR environment; and one or more processors for identifying a plurality of key points of the user movement within a predetermined time window by analyzing the received movement data, detecting a matched gesture of the user movement by comparing the key points of the user movement and the stored plurality of key points, selecting a speed group data set for the matched gesture from the stored plurality of speed groupings data records to determine movement speed of the user within the VR application, and executing a command in the VR environment based on the verified matched gesture and movement speed of the user.