Updating a Virtual Environment

1 . An apparatus for supplying gestural-data to an external-processing-device, thereby allowing said external-processing-device to move a viewpoint in a three-dimensional virtual environment and to render said virtual environment from said viewpoint, implemented as a substantially spherical manually-rotatable input device supported in the hands of a user, comprising:

a rotation-detector configured to generate gestural-data in response to manual rotation of the substantially spherical manually-rotatable input device, and

a wireless transmitter for transmitting said gestural-data to said external-processing-device.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said rotation-detector is an inertial-measurement-unit.

3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said inertial-measurement-unit includes a three-axis-gyroscope.

4 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said inertial-measurement-unit includes a three-axis-accelerometer.

5 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said inertial-measurement-unit includes a three-axis-magnetometer.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said rotation-detector includes:

a three-axis-gyroscope producing first-data;

a three-axis-accelerometer producing second-data;

a three-axis-magnetometer producing third-data; and

a device-processor for producing said gestural-data by combining said first-data with said second-data and said third-data in a process of sensor fusion.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a hand-area-sensor and said rotation-detector is configured to generate additional said gestural-data in response to measurements made with said hand-area-sensor.

8 . A method of adjusting the location of a viewpoint in a three-dimensional environment, comprising the steps of:

generating rotation-data in response to a manual rotation of a substantially spherical hand-supported input device supported in the hands of a user;

wirelessly transmitting said rotation-data to an external-processing-device; and

moving the location of a viewpoint in said three-dimensional environment in response to said received rotation-data.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further including the step of rendering image data from said three-dimensional environment with respect to said viewpoint location.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further including the step of displaying said rendered image data to said user.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said step of moving the location includes the steps of:

moving said viewpoint forwards in said three-dimensional environment in response to a pitch-rotation of said input device about an x axis;

translating said viewpoint sideways in said three-dimensional environment in response to a roll-rotation of said input device about a z-axis; and

yaw-rotating said viewpoint in said three-dimensional environment in response to a yaw-rotation of said input device about a y-axis.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein:

said step of moving the location further includes the step of generating hand-area-data in response to a contact-area of said user's hands in close proximity with an outer-surface of said input device; and

said step of moving the viewpoint forwards includes the step of multiplying said forward-rotation by a scaling factor generated in response to said hand-area-data.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said hand-area-data is obtained in response to measuring a capacitance.

14 . The method of claim 12 , further including the step of transmitting said hand-area-data as part of said gesture-data.

15 . The method of claim 12 , further including the step of analysing said hand-area-data to identify a gesture.

16 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said step of moving the location of a viewpoint includes the step of moving said external-processing-device.

17 . The method of claim 8 , wherein said step of moving the location of a viewpoint is implemented by zooming in on an image.

18 . A system for presenting immersive images to a user via a display device, in which said user has a viewpoint within a three-dimensional virtual environment, the system comprising:

a substantially spherical manually-rotatable hand supported input device with:

a rotation-detector,

a device-processor and

a wireless transmitter,

wherein said device-processor generates gestural-data in response to manual rotation of said input device measured by said rotation-detector, and said transmitter transmits said gestural-data;

an external-processing-device, which:

receives said gestural-data wirelessly,

moves said user viewpoint in said three-dimensional virtual environment in response to manual rotation of said input device and

renders image-data from said virtual environment with respect to said viewpoint; and

a display device, in which said display device presents said image data to a user;

wherein said user experiences locomotion within said virtual environment in response to rotation of said input device.

19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein said external-processing-device is configured to:

move said viewpoint forwards in said virtual environment in response to a pitch-rotation of said input device about an x-axis;

translate said viewpoint sideways in said virtual environment in response to a roll-rotation of said input device about a z-axis; and

yaw-rotate said viewpoint in said virtual environment in response to a yaw-rotation of said input device about a y-axis.

20 . The system of claim 18 , wherein:

said input device includes a hand-area-sensor and is configured to transmit hand-area-data as part of said gestural-data; and

said external-processing-device is configured to modify said movement of said user viewpoint in response to said hand-area-data.