XR Collaborative Workspaces Linking Real Tools to Virtual Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Remote working technologies, such as video calls, lack the effectiveness of in-person interactions due to limitations in understanding body language and context, and fail to integrate well with workflows, leading to reduced collaboration and communication efficiency among distributed teams.
Innovation Solution
The development of artificial reality collaborative working environments that link real-world surfaces and tools with virtual reality surfaces, allowing seamless interaction and collaboration through XR systems, enabling access to real-world tools like computer screens and keyboards, and providing various hand and controller modes for different interaction modalities, as well as context-based auto-population of users and content items.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If video calling is used for remote communication, then communication can be maintained, but understanding of body language and context is lost due to 2D representation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D video call representations to 3D virtual reality environments where users are represented as full-body avatars. This dimensional change restores body language and contextual information by enabling natural gestures, facial expressions, and spatial positioning that are lost in traditional video conferencing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual copies (avatars) of real users that replicate their physical presence, movements, and interactions. These digital twins preserve and transmit body language and contextual cues more faithfully than 2D video by capturing and rendering three-dimensional human behavior in virtual space.
2Productivity
If traditional remote working tools are used, then access to shared documents is enabled, but collaboration effectiveness decreases compared to in-person experiences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges virtual reality collaboration spaces with existing workflow tools and documents. Users can interact with shared documents, whiteboards, and other work artifacts within the immersive VR environment, combining the social presence and natural interaction of in-person collaboration with the productivity of digital workflow tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual reality environment serves as an intermediary layer between users and traditional collaboration tools. Instead of accessing documents through flat screens, users interact with virtual representations of documents and whiteboards in 3D space, maintaining natural hand gestures and spatial collaboration while accessing the same workflow tools.
3Adaptability or versatility
If XR environments are created for remote workers, then immersion and interaction are improved, but integration with existing workflows is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the XR collaborative environment to support multiple interaction modalities and workflow scenarios within a single platform. Users can switch between different collaboration modes (document review, whiteboarding, casual conversation) and access various work tools through the same VR interface, making the system adaptable to diverse work requirements while maintaining unified system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to creating and administering artificial reality collaborative working environments and providing interaction modes for them. An XR work system can provide and control such artificial reality collaborative working environments to enable, for example, A) links between real-world surfaces and XR surfaces; B) links between multiple real-world areas to XR areas with dedicated functionality; C) maintaining access, while inside the artificial reality working environment, to real-world work tools such as the user's computer screen and keyboard; D) various hand and controller modes for different interaction and collaboration modalities; E) use-based, multi-desk collaborative room configurations; and F) context-based auto population of users and content items into the artificial reality working environment.