Augmented reality-based interactive customer support
A method and system of providing guidance and information to customers by presentation of a virtual avatar. The virtual avatar is controlled in real-time by a remote customer service agent. The method includes sharing images of a physical space with the customer service agent, and enabling the customer service agent to project a virtual avatar on the physical space such that the virtual avatar appears to interact and move through the physical space. The dynamic projection of the virtual avatar is received by the customer as an augmentation of their own view of the physical space.
1. A method for conveying interactive guidance to an end-user, the method comprising:
presenting to the end-user, on a display of a first computing device, a view of a first scene corresponding to a first area of a physical space, the first area including a first real object;
presenting a virtual avatar on the display, the virtual avatar being overlaid on a portion of the view of the first scene, wherein the virtual avatar is controlled by a remote human agent via a second computing device;
receiving a first command from the remote human agent to move the virtual agent from a first pose to a second pose;
modifying, in response to the first command, the presentation of the virtual avatar on the display such that the virtual avatar appears to move nearer to the first real object at a first time; and
receiving and presenting a first communication from the remote human agent regarding the first real object around the first time.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first real object is a smart device, and the method further comprises transmitting a signal to the first real object from the second computing device for adjusting an operational setting of the first real object while the first scene is being presented on the display.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first scene corresponds to a field of view of a camera being worn or held by the end-user.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual avatar appears to be pointing to a first portion of the first real object around the first time.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
modifying the presentation of the virtual avatar on the display such that the virtual avatar appears to point to a second portion of the first real object at a second time subsequent to the first time; and
receiving a second communication from the remote human agent around the second time, the second communication regarding a feature associated with the second portion of the first real object.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
presenting, on the display of the first computing device, an image of a second scene corresponding to a second area of the physical space; and
modifying the presentation of the virtual avatar on the display such that the virtual avatar appears to move from the first area to the second area.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second area includes a second real object, and the method further comprises:
modifying the presentation of the virtual avatar on the display such that the virtual avatar appears to point to the second real object at a second time subsequent to the first time; and
receiving a second communication from the remote human agent around the second time, the second communication including information about the second real object.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first communication is an instruction about an operational feature of the first real object.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first real object is a door, and the first communication includes a request to open the door.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first computing device includes a head-mounted display system.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
mapping, prior to the presentation of the virtual avatar, a representation of at least the first area of the physical space based on images captured by a camera associated with the first computing device.
12. A method for generating guidance using a virtual avatar, the method comprising:
receiving, at a first computing device, one or more images of a first scene corresponding to a first area of a physical space from a second computing device, the first area including a first real object;
mapping a representation of the first scene based at least in part on the received images;
presenting the representation of the first scene on a first display of a first computing device;
overlaying a projection of a virtual avatar on a portion of the representation of the first scene, the virtual avatar being controlled by an end-user who is remote relative to the physical space;
receiving, at the first computing device, a first command to move the virtual avatar from a first location near the first real object to a second location further from the first real object; and
moving, in response to receiving the first command, the virtual avatar from the first location to the second location.
13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first computing device, a message from the second computing device including a question about a second real object disposed in the first area;
receiving, at the first computing device, a second command to move the virtual avatar from the second location to a third location adjacent to the second real object; and
moving, in response to receiving the second command, the virtual avatar from the second location to the third location.
14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first computing device, a second command to alter a pose of the virtual avatar from a first pose in which the virtual avatar is standing to a second pose in which the virtual avatar is crouching; and
altering, in response to receiving the second command, the pose of the virtual avatar from the first pose to the second pose.
15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
sending, from the first computing device, a message to the second computing device including instructions about how to operate a feature of the first real object; and
transmitting, from the first computing device and concurrently with the sending of the message, a signal to the second computing device for presentation of the virtual avatar on a second display of the second computing device.
16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
receiving, at the first computing device, information about a facial expression of the end-user; and
mapping the facial expression to a face of the virtual avatar.
17. A system for conveying interactive guidance to an end-user, the system comprising:
a processor;
machine-readable media including instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
present to the end-user, on a display of a first computing device, an image of a first scene corresponding to a first area of a physical space, the first area including a first real object;
present a virtual avatar on the display, the virtual avatar being overlaid on a portion of the first scene, wherein the virtual avatar is controlled by a remote human agent via a second computing device;
receive a first command from the remote human agent to move the virtual agent from a first pose to a second pose;
modify, in response to the first command, the presentation of the virtual avatar on the display such that the virtual avatar appears to move nearer to the first real object at a first time; and
receive and present a first communication from the remote human agent regarding the first real object around the first time.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the first real object is a smart device, and the method further comprises transmitting a signal to the first real object from the second computing device for adjusting an operational setting of the first real object while the first scene is being presented on the display.
19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the first scene corresponds to a field of view of a camera being worn or held by the end-user.
20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the virtual avatar appears to be pointing to a first portion of the first real object around the first time.