Remote object sensing in video
A method comprises obtaining an input comprising audio and visual data for display on a first device, receiving data associated with one or more sensory properties of one or more objects in the input, and reconstructing the one or more sensory properties at the first device based on the data received.
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The present application relates generally to remote object sensing and, more particularly, to techniques for replicating the sense of touch remotely.
BACKGROUNDAs technology advances, more and more can be done in the virtual environment. For example, technological advances now enable new means of communication, including videotelephony and voice over IP. Communication between family members via remote means using applications such as SKYPE or FACETIME, allow for video and audio transmissions between users in real-time.
Furthermore, content available for media streaming continually expands in the virtual environment. Users can now easily send or receive videos and watch movies and shows on a user device. Communication via remote means also enable non-traditional forms of education such as distance learning. Students can now watch live or pre-recorded lectures as well as explore different subject areas using the vast media content available on the Internet. For example, a child can watch videos of lions in Africa without having to travel to Africa or even to a local zoo; a student in London can participate in a live lecture that is taking place in a New York City classroom.
SUMMARYEmbodiments of the invention provide techniques for recreating the sense of touch remotely using data received at a device.
For example, in one embodiment of the invention, a method comprises steps of obtaining an input comprising audio and visual data for display on a first device, receiving data associated with one or more sensory properties of one or more objects in the input, and reconstructing the one or more sensory properties at the first device based on the data received.
In additional embodiments of the invention, a method comprises obtaining an input comprising visual and audio data for display on a device, detecting user selection of one or more objects in the visual input, identifying the one or more selected objects and surroundings of the one or more objects, obtaining data associated with one or more sensory properties of the identified one or more objects and the surroundings, and reconstructing the one or more sensory properties associated with the identified one or more objects and the surroundings based on the data received.
In further embodiments of the invention, a method comprises obtaining an input comprising visual and audio data for display on a first device, detecting sensory input from a user of the first device, capturing data associated with the sensory input from the user of the first device, and transmitting the captured data to a second device for reconstruction of one or more sensory properties associated with the user of the first device.
In further embodiments, an apparatus comprises a memory and a processor operatively coupled to the memory. The processor is configured to obtain an input comprising audio and visual data for display on a first device, receive data associated with one or more sensory properties of one or more objects in the input, and reconstruct the one or more sensory properties at the first device based on the data received.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
As visual and/or auditory information is used in conventional computer technology, users demand more and more specific and realistic information. However, an essential element is still missing from existing means of virtual communication and content streaming—the sense of touch. As a result, there is a growing need to replicate the sense of touch remotely. Replicating the sense of touch would be useful in a variety of contexts. For example, if a parent wants to touch their child from work to see if the child has a fever or if there is a change in the child's body temperature. As another example, if a doctor wants to check a patient's heartbeat or other vitals remotely. As a further example, it would be desirable to interact with a visual input by “feeling around” the imagery displayed on the screen of a user device, and remotely feeling the objects and the surroundings displayed on the device (e.g., feeling the fabric of each piece of clothing while shopping online).
Illustrative embodiments of the invention provide for replicating a sense of touch by augmenting existing audio and/or visual content with a sensory dimension in the form of temperature, texture and movement. For example, embodiments of the invention augment traditional videotelephony and video recordings by conveying the sense of warmth or pressure from a hug or a hand shake, the sensation of snow, the feeling of a patient's pulse and body temperature, etc.
Illustratively, embodiments of the invention replicate a sense of touch remotely by recreating roughness and/or temperature sensation. It is believed that a combination of the three remote patterns—sense of texture, temperature and movement, would allow for a more accurate representation of the sense of touch.
An illustrative embodiment of the coordinated plane 206 of
As an illustrative example of the remote sensing methodology as described in
As another illustrative example of the remote sensing methodology as described in
As an example of the remote sensory module as described in
Similarly,
Alternatively, the gridded interface 808 may be implemented apart from a device as a stand-alone apparatus through which a device may be plugged in when sensory replication is desired or needed.
In the instance where the scene is a live feed captured by a camera component on a device, the sensors on the device may capture sensory data associated with the objects in the scene. For example, the temperature and texture of the snow 906, the temperature and movement of the fire 908, along with the temperature of the sun 904 may be captured by the temperature sensor, tactile sensor and motion sensor on the device. These sensory data can then be sent to coordinated plane 910 (details of which are disclosed in the context of
A user may also chose to experience only one sensory property associated with the objects in the scene. For example, a user may choose to experience only the temperature of the objects in the scene. In that instance, infrared sensors on the device can be used to sense the temperature of the sun 904, snow 906 and fire 908. It should be noted that while the true temperature of the sun 904 or of the fire 908 may not be remotely sensed, the perceived temperature can readily be captured by the temperature sensors on the device. Accordingly, an exemplary output produced by the controller 912 may be a relative temperature map of the scene such that portions of the image is much warmer than the surroundings. Here, the sun 904 would be perceived as warm relative to the hot fire 908, and the snow 906 would be cold relative to the sun 904 and fire 908. A user would be able to touch the screen or back of the device, depending on where the gridded interface is located, to feel the temperature distribution of the scene displayed on screen 902.
In the instance where the scene is an input from pre-recorded content in which sensory data is not transmitted along with the input (e.g., a movie), the remote sensing methodology 100 would replicate the sense of touch using a remote sensory module 500 as described in
In an alternative embodiment, screen 902 may be a window through which the scene is being viewed. The window 902 may contain a gridded interface 808, as described in
It should be noted that where user selection is an option, such as user selection of the object of interest or user selection of segmentation by duration, the user selection may be performed using conventional methods such as employing a stylus, a mouse or a finger to highlight the object or choice in the user interface.
Embodiments of the present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.
Accordingly, the architecture shown in
The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.
Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device.
Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.
Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.
These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
One or more embodiments can make use of software running on a general-purpose computer or workstation. With reference to
Computer system/server 1012 may be described in the general context of computer system executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer system/server 1012 may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer system storage media including memory storage devices.
As shown in
The bus 1018 represents one or more of any of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnects (PCI) bus.
The computer system/server 1012 typically includes a variety of computer system readable media. Such media may be any available media that is accessible by computer system/server 1012, and it includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media.
The system memory 1028 can include computer system readable media in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 1030 and/or cache memory 1032. The computer system/server 1012 may further include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer system storage media. By way of example only, storage system 1034 can be provided for reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown and typically called a “hard drive”). Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a “floppy disk”), and an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided. In such instances, each can be connected to the bus 1018 by one or more data media interfaces. As depicted and described herein, the memory 1028 may include at least one program product having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to carry out the functions of embodiments of the invention. A program/utility 1040, having a set (at least one) of program modules 1042, may be stored in memory 1028 by way of example, and not limitation, as well as an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. Each of the operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data or some combination thereof, may include an implementation of a networking environment. Program modules 1042 generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of embodiments of the invention as described herein.
Computer system/server 1012 may also communicate with one or more external devices 1014 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a display 1024, etc., one or more devices that enable a user to interact with computer system/server 1012, and/or any devices (e.g., network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 1012 to communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such communication can occur via Input/Output (I/O) interfaces 1022. Still yet, computer system/server 1012 can communicate with one or more networks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via network adapter 1020. As depicted, network adapter 1020 communicates with the other components of computer system/server 1012 via bus 1018. It should be understood that although not shown, other hardware and/or software components could be used in conjunction with computer system/server 1012. Examples include, but are not limited to, microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.
Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.
Claims
1. A method, comprising:
- obtaining an input comprising audio and visual data for display on a first device;
- receiving data associated with one or more sensory properties of one or more user-selected objects in the input; and
- reconstructing the one or more sensory properties at the first device based on the data received.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensory properties comprises at least one of a temperature, a texture and a movement associated with the one or more.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is captured by one or more sensors on the first device, the one or more sensors comprising at least one of an infrared sensor and a tactile sensor.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is captured by one or more sensors on a second device, the one or more sensors comprising at least one of an infrared sensor and a tactile sensor.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein reconstructing the one or more sensory properties comprises translating the sensory data into metrics for reconstruction.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein a controller regulates a gridded interface to produce the one or more sensory properties based on the metrics.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the gridded interface comprises at least one of an array of micro pipes, a hot air reservoir, a cold air reservoir and a tactile simulator.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the gridded interface is located on an enclosure of the first device.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the input is one of pre-recorded or live.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising segmenting the input based on user selection, wherein the input is at least one of segmented temporally and segmented spatially.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more sensory properties are reconstructed based on the user selection for at least one of a given duration and a given region of the input.
12. A method, comprising:
- obtaining an input comprising visual and audio data for display on a device;
- detecting user selection of one or more objects in the visual input;
- identifying the one or more selected objects and surroundings of the one or more objects;
- obtaining data associated with one or more sensory properties of the identified one or more objects and the surroundings; and
- reconstructing the one or more sensory properties associated with the identified one or more objects and the surroundings based on the data received.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the one or more selected objects comprises one of an image recognition software and a user input.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein the data is obtained from a database comprising objects indexed with sensory information.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the data is estimated based on historical information stored in the database.
16. The method of claim 12, wherein the sensory properties comprises at least one of a temperature, a texture and a movement associated with the one or more objects and surroundings.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein reconstructing the one or more sensory properties comprises translating the data into metrics.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein a controller regulates a gridded interface to produce the one or more sensory properties based on the metrics.
19. A method, comprising:
- obtaining an input comprising visual and audio data for display on a first device;
- detecting sensory input from a user of the first device with respect to one or more user-selected objects in the input;
- capturing data associated with the sensory input from the user of the first device; and
- transmitting the captured data to a second device for reconstruction of one or more sensory properties associated with the user of the first device.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein detecting sensory input from a user comprises detecting user contact with one or more sensors on the first device.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein capturing data associated with the sensory input comprises recording and storing data generated by the one of more sensors on the first device.
22. An apparatus, comprising:
- a memory; and
- a processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to: obtain an input comprising audio and visual data for display on a first device; receive data associated with one or more sensory properties of one or more user-selected objects in the input; and reconstruct the one or more sensory properties at the first device based on the data received.
23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein a controller regulates a gridded interface to produce one or more sensory properties based on one or more metrics.
24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the gridded interface comprises at least one of an array of micro pipes, a hot air reservoir, a cold air reservoir and a tactile simulator.
25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the gridded interface is located on an enclosure of the first device.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Sep 30, 2014
Date of Patent: Feb 23, 2016
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation (Armonk, NY)
Inventors: Aleksandr Y. Aravkin (Bronx, NY), Anirban Basu (Elmsford, NY), Dimitri Kanevsky (Ossining, NY), Tara N. Sainath (Jersey City, NJ)
Primary Examiner: Olisa Anwah
Application Number: 14/502,110
International Classification: H04N 7/14 (20060101); H04N 7/15 (20060101);