Wearable Electric Discharge Sensing for Hands-Free Artificial Reality Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional artificial reality systems face limitations in sensing user motions, actions, and gestures due to the restrictive nature of hands-on controllers, which hinder mobility and immersive experiences.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of electric discharge-based sensing via wearables that measure electrical energy differentials between a user's body and their environment, using energy measuring devices and processing units to detect interactions and generate input commands for the artificial reality system, enabling hands-free user input.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional hands-on controllers are used for user input, then input functionality is provided, but user mobility and movement freedom are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sensing function from traditional handheld controllers and integrates it directly into wearable devices that conform to the user's body. This allows the sensing capability to be distributed across multiple body locations, enabling natural movement and gestures without requiring a separate controller, thus resolving the contradiction between input functionality and mobility freedom
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable device serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, houses sensing elements, and enables various input methods (touch, gesture, pressure) across different body locations. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain input capability while adapting to diverse user movements and positions, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and adaptability
2Measurement precision
If traditional wearables are used for motion sensing, then some motions are detected, but sensing of other motions and gestures is challenging or impracticable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sensing system into multiple distributed sensing elements integrated throughout the wearable structure, rather than relying on a single sensing unit. This segmentation allows different parts of the wearable to detect different types of motions and gestures, expanding the overall sensing capability while maintaining precision for each specific motion type
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds new sensing dimensions by incorporating sensors that detect pressure, touch, and gesture interactions across the wearable surface, complementing traditional motion sensors. This multi-dimensional sensing approach enables detection of a broader range of user interactions including subtle gestures and contact-based inputs that traditional wearables cannot detect
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
This solution allows for enhanced mobility and immersive experiences by detecting physical contact and gestures without the need for traditional controllers, allowing the artificial reality system to modify the user's experience accordingly.
Implementation Method 1
The energy measuring device may measure an electrical energy differential between a body of the user and a surface within an environment occupied by the user
Implementation Method 2
The energy measuring device may include and/or represent an electrometer that electrically grounds to the body of the user and/or measures the amount of electric potential between the body of the user and the surface within the environment
Implementation Method 3
The body-charging device may include a grounding electrode that establishes an electrical reference to the surface. Additionally or alternatively, the body-charging device may include a charging electrode that electrically couples an output of the body-charging device to the body of the user
Implementation Method 4
The interaction between the user and the surface within the environment may include and/or represent the user touching and/or releasing the surface with the body part
Data Source
AI summary
A system may include a wearable dimensioned to be donned by a user of an artificial reality system. The system may also include an energy measuring device incorporated into the wearable. The energy measuring device may measure an electrical energy differential between a body of the user and a surface. The system may further include at least one processing device communicatively coupled to the energy measuring device. The processing device may detect, based at least in part on the electrical energy differential measured by the energy measuring device, an interaction between the user and the surface. In response to this detection, the processing device may generate an input command for the artificial reality system based at least in part on the interaction detected between the user and the surface. Various other systems and methods are also disclosed.