Physical World Driven Environmental Themes for Avatars in Virtual/Augmented Reality Systems

Smart overview of the Invention

The patent application outlines a method for personalizing virtual environments using data from sensors that capture a user's emotional responses to various stimuli. By gathering emotion data and stimuli context data, the system trains machine learning models to predict user emotions. These predictions enable modifications to virtual environments, tailoring them to the user's emotional state for a more immersive experience.

Background

Virtual and augmented reality systems have become popular platforms for interaction, allowing users to engage in activities like gaming, social networking, and professional collaboration. Representing users through avatars, these systems often lack the capability to reflect users' emotional states accurately. The Metaverse concept aims to create interconnected virtual worlds, yet current technology does not adequately incorporate emotional indicators to enhance user experiences.

Methodology

The proposed system collects emotion data via user-associated sensors and correlates it with stimuli context data from computing systems. Machine learning models are trained with this data to predict user emotions based on patterns detected. During runtime, these models assess real-time emotion and stimuli data to adjust the virtual environment accordingly, offering a personalized experience that aligns with the user's predicted emotional state.

Applications

This approach allows for dynamic changes in virtual environments based on predicted emotions. For instance, if a user feels fear towards a specific stimulus like a spider, the system can alter the virtual setting by removing or replacing the spider with a neutral or positive element. This adaptability ensures that users have an engaging and emotionally suitable experience within the virtual space.

Potential Impact

By integrating emotional responsiveness into virtual settings, the system enhances user immersion and satisfaction. It can handle various stimuli such as visual, auditory, environmental, social, object-based, and contextual factors. This technology promises to refine how users interact with virtual worlds by making them more responsive to individual emotional cues, thus offering a richer and more personalized digital interaction.