Physical-virtual environment interface
View Patent ↗Apparatus, methods, and computer-program products are disclosed for automatically interfacing a first physical environment and a second physical environment to a virtual world model where some avatar controller piloting commands are automatically issued by a virtual world client to a virtual world server responsive to the focus of the avatar controller.
1. A computer-controlled method for automatically interfacing a first physical environment and a second physical environment to a virtual world model, said virtual world model including a first avatar representing a first avatar controller in said first physical environment, a second avatar representing a second avatar controller in said second physical environment, and a third avatar representing a third avatar controller in the first physical environment, said first physical environment including a gaze-tracker and a first viewport, said second physical environment including a second viewport, said first avatar and said second avatar including a first avatar eye and a second avatar eye respectively, said method comprising:
detecting, within said first physical environment, a gaze from said first avatar controller to a gaze target, wherein the gaze target is the third avatar controller in the first physical environment;
determining that the third avatar is associated with said gaze target in the first physical environment; and
automatically emitting a focus-on piloting command to said virtual world model, said focus-on piloting command configured to aim said first avatar eye to said third avatar in said virtual world model responsive to determining.
2. The computer-controlled method of claim 1 , said method further comprising:
presenting a representation of said first avatar eye and a representation of said third avatar on said second viewport to indicate that said gaze is aimed at said third avatar controller.
3. The computer-controlled method of claim 1 , wherein in response to determining that a second gaze target is an avatar representation of said third avatar presented on said first viewport, said method further comprises:
presenting a representation of said first avatar eye and a representation of said third avatar on said second viewport to indicate that said gaze is aimed at said avatar representation on said first viewport.
4. The computer-controlled method of claim 1 , wherein in response to determining that a second gaze target is an avatar representation of said second avatar presented on said first viewport, said method further comprises:
presenting a representation of said first avatar eye on said second viewport to indicate that said first avatar eye is aimed at said second avatar controller.
5. The computer-controlled method of claim 1 , wherein said first physical environment further comprises a body-part tracker, said method further comprising:
tracking a body-part of said first avatar controller by said body-part tracker;
automatically emitting a body-part-position piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to tracking; and
positioning a corresponding body-part of said first avatar in said virtual world model responsive to said body-part-position piloting command.
6. The computer-controlled method of claim 1 , wherein said first physical environment further comprises a face-tracker, said first avatar controller having a face, and said first avatar having a mask, said method further comprising:
tracking said face,
detecting a facial distortion of said face;
automatically emitting an expression piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to detecting; and
altering said mask responsive to said expression piloting command.
7. The computer-controlled method of claim 1 , further comprising:
detecting a second gaze from said third avatar controller to a second gaze target; and
automatically emitting a second focus-on piloting command to said virtual world model, said second focus-on piloting command configured to aim a third avatar eye at a virtual object that represents said second gaze target in said virtual world model.
8. An apparatus having a central processing unit (CPU) and a memory coupled to said CPU for automatically interfacing a first physical environment to a virtual world model, said virtual world model including a first avatar representing a first avatar controller in said first physical environment, a second avatar representing a second avatar controller, and a third avatar representing a third avatar controller in the first physical environment, said first avatar and said second avatar including a first avatar eye and a second avatar eye respectively, said apparatus comprising:
a network connection logic configured to communicate with said virtual world model;
a machine vision system logic configured to enable monitoring of one or more real-world objects in said first physical environment, said memory configured to maintain a local physical environment model of said first physical environment responsive to the machine vision system logic, the machine vision system logic further configured to enable a gaze-tracker, said gaze-tracker configured to detect a gaze from said first avatar controller to a gaze target, wherein the gaze target is the third avatar controller in the first physical environment;
a target determination logic configured to determine that the third avatar is associated with said gaze target in the first physical environment; and
a pilot logic configured to automatically emit a focus-on piloting command over the network connection logic to said virtual world model, said focus-on piloting command configured to aim said first avatar eye to said third avatar in said virtual world model responsive to the target determination logic.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the target determination logic includes an association logic configured to associate said third avatar controller with the third avatar.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said virtual world model includes a virtual gaze object from said second avatar to said third avatar, and said local physical environment model is also responsive to said virtual world model, said apparatus further comprising:
a viewport logic configured to drive a first viewport in said first physical environment responsive to said local physical environment model and configured to present a representation of said second avatar eye and a representation of said third avatar on said first viewport responsive to said virtual gaze object.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said local physical environment model is also responsive to said virtual world model, said apparatus further comprising:
a viewport logic configured to drive a first viewport in said first physical environment responsive to said local physical environment model and configured to present an avatar representation of said second avatar, and wherein the target determination logic is further configured to detect from a second gaze that said avatar representation is said gaze target, and wherein the target determination logic includes an association logic configured to associate said avatar representation with said second avatar.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said local physical environment model is also responsive to said virtual world model, said virtual world model including a virtual gaze object from said second avatar to said first avatar, said apparatus further comprising:
a viewport logic configured to drive a first viewport in said first physical environment responsive to said local physical environment model and configured to present an avatar representation of said second avatar, said avatar representation including a representation of said second avatar eye, and wherein said local physical environment model is configured to orient said representation of said second avatar eye toward the first avatar controller in the first physical environment.
13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the machine vision system logic further comprises a body-part tracker configured to track a body-part of said first avatar controller and wherein the pilot logic is configured to automatically emit a body-part-position piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to the body-part tracker.
14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said first avatar controller has a face, and said first avatar has a mask, and the machine vision system logic further comprises a face-tracker configured to track said face, the machine vision system logic further comprising a facial distortion logic configured to detect a facial distortion of said face, and wherein the pilot logic is configured to automatically emit an expression piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to the facial distortion logic.
15. A computer-program product for automatically interfacing a first physical environment and a second physical environment to a virtual world model, said virtual world model including a first avatar representing a first avatar controller in said first physical environment, a second avatar representing a second avatar controller in said second physical environment, and a third avatar representing a third avatar controller in the first physical environment, said first physical environment including a gaze-tracker and a first viewport, said second physical environment including a second viewport, said first avatar and said second avatar including a first avatar eye and a second avatar eye respectively, comprising:
a non-transitory computer-usable storage medium providing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause said computer to perform a method comprising:
detecting, within said first physical environment, a gaze from said first avatar controller to a gaze target, wherein the gaze target is the third avatar controller in the first physical environment;
determining that the third avatar is associated with said gaze target in the first physical environment; and
automatically emitting a focus-on piloting command to said virtual world model, said focus-on piloting command configured to aim said first avatar eye to said third avatar in said virtual world model responsive to determining.
16. The computer-program product of claim 15 , said method further comprising:
presenting a representation of said first avatar eye and a representation of said third avatar on said second viewport to indicate that said gaze is aimed at said third avatar controller.
17. The computer-program product of claim 15 , wherein in response to determining that a second gaze target is an avatar representation of said third avatar presented on said first viewport, said method further comprises:
presenting a representation of said first avatar eye and a representation of said third avatar on said second viewport to indicate that said gaze is aimed at said avatar representation on said first viewport.
18. The computer-program product of claim 15 , wherein said first physical environment further comprises a body-part tracker, said method further comprising:
tracking a body-part of said first avatar controller by said body-part tracker;
automatically emitting a body-part-position piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to tracking; and
positioning a corresponding body-part of said first avatar in said virtual world model responsive to said body-part-position piloting command.
19. The computer-program product of claim 15 , wherein said first physical environment further comprises a face-tracker, said first avatar controller having a face, and said first avatar having a mask, said method further comprising:
tracking said face,
detecting a facial distortion of said face;
automatically emitting an expression piloting command to said virtual world model responsive to detecting; and
altering said mask responsive to said expression piloting command.
20. The computer-program product of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises:
detecting a gaze from said third avatar controller to a second gaze target; and
automatically emitting a second focus-on piloting command to said virtual world model, said second focus-on piloting command configured to aim a third avatar eye at a virtual object that represents said second gaze target in said virtual world model.