VR Navigation Mapping Physical Hand Movements to Unreachable Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual reality (VR) content creators face challenges in designing environments where all objects are not within a user's reach, and users must walk to every object to interact with it, limiting the immersive experience.
Innovation Solution
The method and apparatus translate physical hand movements within a reachable portion of a VR environment into virtual hand movements in an unreachable portion, allowing users to interact with virtual objects outside their physical reach by defining and mapping reachable and unreachable areas dynamically within the VR space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users physically walk to every object in the VR environment, then they can interact with all objects, but the navigation efficiency and user experience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by mapping 3D physical hand movements to a 2D unreachable portion of the VR environment. The unreachable portion is represented as a 2D plane or surface that can be navigated through hand gestures, allowing users to access objects outside their physical reach zone without physically moving their body. This transforms the navigation problem from 3D physical movement to 2D virtual surface interaction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mapping mechanism between the reachable and unreachable portions of the VR environment. A virtual cursor or pointer acts as the intermediary, translating physical hand movements into corresponding movements in the unreachable portion. This intermediary allows indirect interaction with distant objects through localized hand gestures within the reachable zone.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the VR environment contains objects beyond arm's reach, then the environment design flexibility improves, but the user's ability to interact with objects deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a 2D unreachable portion that serves as an intermediary space between the user's reachable zone and distant objects. This 2D surface allows users to access objects anywhere in the VR environment by mapping their hand movements to this intermediate plane, thereby maintaining ease of interaction while preserving environment design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual representation or copy of the unreachable portion of the environment. Instead of requiring direct physical access to distant objects, the system creates a mapped representation that can be interacted with through hand gestures. This virtual copy allows indirect manipulation of distant objects through local hand movements.
Data Source
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AI summary
Example methods and apparatus to navigate within virtual-reality (VR) environments are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes defining a reachable portion of a VR environment, defining an unreachable portion of the VR environment separate from the reachable portion, and translating a physical hand location in the reachable portion into a virtual hand location in the unreachable portion.