Head-Mounted Wearable Device for Hands-Free Communication Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional communication methods are cumbersome and require direct interaction with user interfaces, such as touching controls to establish communication, which can be inefficient and distracting, especially in situations where hands-free or hands-minimal interaction is desired.
Innovation Solution
A head-mounted wearable device (HMWD) that uses motion sensors and speech recognition to facilitate communication by associating head gestures and voice commands with specific actions, allowing users to initiate and manage communications without needing to interact with graphical user interfaces, transitioning seamlessly between synchronous and asynchronous modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional communication methods using graphical user interfaces are used, then communication can be established, but user interaction becomes cumbersome and distracting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical interaction with graphical user interfaces (touching, clicking) with voice-based acoustic interaction. Users can initiate communications by speaking commands like 'call John' or 'text Sarah' without manually navigating through interface elements, thereby reducing interaction time and cognitive load.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service communication initiation through voice commands. The wearable device automatically processes the spoken intent, identifies the recipient, and establishes the communication channel without requiring the user to manually search for contacts or select communication modes, making the system serve itself in completing the communication task.
2Reliability
If manual interface manipulation is required, then communication control is precise, but user safety is compromised due to distractions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes mechanical hand operations with voice-based acoustic commands. Users can control communications while keeping their hands free for safety-critical tasks. The system accurately interprets voice intents and executes appropriate actions, maintaining operational reliability without requiring manual interface manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable computing device acts as an intermediary between the user's voice intent and the communication system. It processes the acoustic input, determines the user's intent through natural language understanding, and executes the appropriate communication action, thereby mediating between the user and the complex communication interfaces while keeping the user's hands free.
3Adaptability or versatility
If voice commands and head gestures are used, then hands-free operation is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable computing device integrates multiple functions including voice recognition, gesture detection, contact identification, and communication initiation within a single unified system. This multi-functionality allows the device to handle various communication scenarios (calls, texts, video chats) through a single voice command interface, reducing the need for separate systems for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable device serves as an intelligent intermediary that consolidates complex processing tasks. It receives acoustic input from microphones, processes gestures through motion sensors, identifies recipients using contact information, selects appropriate communication channels, and executes the interaction. This intermediary role simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing the complexity in one device rather than distributing it across multiple specialized systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Described are systems and methods for facilitating communication between a user and other users, services, and so forth. A wearable device, such as a pair of glasses, may be worn and used in conjunction with another user device, such as a smartphone, to support communications between the user and others. Inputs such as motion of the head, orientation of the head, verbal input, and so forth may be used to initiate particular functions on the wearable device, the user device, or with a service. For example, a user may turn their head to the left and speak to send a message to a particular person. A display light in the field of view of the user may illuminate to a particular color that has been previously associated with the particular person. This provides visual feedback to the user about the recipient of the message.