Abstract: An eye tracking unit that includes one or more transmitters that transmit a signal (e.g., a radar signal or an ultrasonic sound) at an eye, one or more receivers that receive a reflection of the signal generated by interaction of the signal with the eye, and an eye orientation estimation module that estimates an orientation of the eye based on the reflected signal received by the one or more ultrasonic receivers and based on a model of the eye. The eye tracking unit may be part of a head-mounted display (HMD) that includes a display element configured to display content to a user wearing the HMD. The model of the eye may be trained by displaying a visual indicator on the electronic element and detecting a reflected signal corresponding to the eye looking at the visual indicator.

Abstract: A deformation sensing apparatus comprises a transmitter coupled to a propagation channel, and a receiver coupled to the same first end of the propagation channel. The propagation channel of the deformation is a transmission line, where a signal is transmitted by the transmitter and reflected signals are measured by the receiver responsive to the transmitted signals. A bend in the propagation channel results in a change in impedance of the transmission line at a location of the bend, resulting in a reflection of the signal from the location of the bend. The time delay of the reflected signals corresponds to the distance along the length of the channel where a bending of the propagation channel occurs. The amplitude of the reflected signal corresponds to a bend angle.

Abstract: An eye tracking unit that includes one or more transmitters that transmit a signal (e.g., a radar signal or an ultrasonic sound) at an eye, one or more receivers that receive a reflection of the signal generated by interaction of the signal with the eye, and an eye orientation estimation module that estimates an orientation of the eye based on the reflected signal received by the one or more ultrasonic receivers and based on a model of the eye. The eye tracking unit may be part of a head-mounted display (HMD) that includes a display element configured to display content to a user wearing the HMD. The model of the eye may be trained by displaying a visual indicator on the electronic element and detecting a reflected signal corresponding to the eye looking at the visual indicator.

Abstract: A wearable heat transfer device provides a user with haptic feedback providing sensations of hot or cold. The wearable heat transfer device comprises a heat source/sink and a programmable interface having heat transfer characteristics that are modified based on a signal received by the programmable interface. For example, a thickness of the programmable interface changes based on the received signal, altering heat transfer by the programmable interface. In another example, an electric field is applied to the programmable interface, changing one or more properties of the programmable interface affecting heat transfer.

Abstract: A wearable device to be worn on a body part includes deformation sensors and a controller. The controller instructs the deformation sensors to measure deformation forces. The controller determines a position of the body part based on the measured deformation forces and a transfer function that maps deformation forces to positions of a same or corresponding body part. The transfer function is generated based on measurements from calibration and deformation sensors to sense corresponding positions of the body part and deformation forces. A calibration sensor may include a magnetic field generator and a magnetic flux sensor. The wearable device may be a glove and the body part may be a hand.

Abstract: A kinesthetic sensor measure angular displacement of body parts of users by measuring a density of substances contained in a conduit of the kinesthetic sensor. For example, the kinesthetic sensor measures the density of substance including in a conduit by transmitting a signal into the conduit and measuring the signal after the signal passes through the conduit and one or more substances included in the conduit. Based on the density of the one or more substances included in the conduit from the measured signal, an angular displacement of a user's body part proximate to the kinesthetic sensor is determined. Kinesthetic sensors may use different architectures such as an open-loop, a closed-loop architecture, or an architecture using blood vessels as conduits. Additionally, kinesthetic sensors can be flexible to conform to physical contours of different body parts.

Abstract: A wearable device to be worn on a body part includes a magnetic field generator, a magnetic field sensor, and a controller. The controller instructs the magnetic field generator to generate a magnetic field, instructs magnetic field sensor to measure a sensor signal, and to determine a position of the body part based on the measured sensor signal. The magnetic field sensor can include multiple sensor elements with known or solved positions relative to one another. The wearable device can be a glove. The controller may determine a bend angle of a finger or an angle between two fingers.

Abstract: A wearable device to be worn on a body part includes deformation sensors and a controller. The controller instructs the deformation sensors to measure deformation forces. The controller determines a position of the body part based on the measured deformation forces and a transfer function that maps deformation forces to positions of a same or corresponding body part. The transfer function is generated based on measurements from calibration and deformation sensors to sense corresponding positions of the body part and deformation forces. A calibration sensor may include a magnetic field generator and a magnetic flux sensor. The wearable device may be a glove and the body part may be a hand.

Abstract: A virtual reality (VR) headset includes an electronic display element that outputs image light via a plurality of sub-pixels that are separated from each other by a dark space. To mask the dark space between adjacent sub-pixels in the electronic display element, an optics block (e.g., a lens) in the VR headset oscillates or the electronic display element oscillates. For example, a piezoelectric material is coupled to the electronic display element or to the optics block. When a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric material, vibration of the piezoelectric material causes oscillation of the electronic display element or the optics block. The oscillation generates blur spots in the image light that mask the dark space between adjacent sub-pixels, with each blur spot corresponding to a blurred image of a sub-pixel in the image light.

Abstract: A system tracks movement of the VR input device relative to a portion of a user's skin, track movement of the VR input device relative to a physical surface external to the VR input device, or both. The system includes an illumination source integrated with a tracking glove coupled to a virtual reality console, and the illumination source is configured to illuminate a portion of skin on a finger of a user. The system includes an optical sensor integrated with the glove, and the optical sensor is configured to capture a plurality of images of the illuminated portion of skin. The system includes a controller configured to identify differences between one or more of the plurality of images, and to determine estimated position data based in part on the identified differences.

Abstract: A wearable heat transfer device provides a user with haptic feedback providing sensations of hot or cold. The wearable heat transfer device comprises a heat source/sink and a programmable interface having heat transfer characteristics that are modified based on a signal received by the programmable interface. For example, a thickness of the programmable interface changes based on the received signal, altering heat transfer by the programmable interface. In another example, an electric field is applied to the programmable interface, changing one or more properties of the programmable interface affecting heat transfer.

Abstract: A deformation sensing apparatus comprises an elastic substrate, a conductive element, and an additional conductive element. The conductive element includes conductive joints that are separated from each other by resolving elements along a length of the conductive element. Different combinations of conductive joints and resolving elements correspond to different segments of the deformation sensing apparatus. Based on a change in capacitance between a conductive joint and the additional conductive element when a strain is applied to the deformation sensing apparatus, the deformation sensing apparatus generates a signal that allows determination of how the strain deforms the deformation sensing apparatus.

Abstract: A wearable eye tracking system includes a pair of looping coils in a Helmholtz configuration and an additional looping coil. In one configuration, areas enclosed by the pair of looping coils in the Helmholtz configuration are in parallel with each other, while an area enclosed by the additional looping coil is offset from (i.e., not parallel with) the areas enclosed by the pair of looping coils. In this configuration, the pair of looping coils generates uniform magnetic fields between the two areas of the pair of looping coils in a first direction orthogonal to the areas of the pair of looping coils, and the additional looping coil generates additional non-uniform (or divergent) magnetic fields in a second direction transversal to the first direction.

Abstract: A deformation sensing apparatus comprises a propagation channel, a transmitter coupled to a first end of the propagation channel, a receiver coupled to a second end of the propagation channel, and a controller. The propagation channel is deformable and the controller instructs the transmitter to transmit a signal, instructs the receiver to capture one or more measurements of the transmitted signal, and determines a bend in the propagation channel based on the one or more measurements. In one embodiment, the transmitter is a light source, the propagation channel is an optical fiber, and the receiver is a photodiode. The propagation channel is made of a material that has a variation in a refractive index responsive to applied mechanical stress. The deformation sensing apparatus may also include a polarizer positioned between the transmitter and the propagation channel and a wave plate positioned between the propagation channel and the receiver.

Abstract: A deformation sensing apparatus comprises a transmitter coupled to a propagation channel, and a receiver coupled to the same first end of the propagation channel. The propagation channel of the deformation is a transmission line, where a signal is transmitted by the transmitter and reflected signals are measured by the receiver responsive to the transmitted signals. A bend in the propagation channel results in a change in impedance of the transmission line at a location of the bend, resulting in a reflection of the signal from the location of the bend. The time delay of the reflected signals corresponds to the distance along the length of the channel where a bending of the propagation channel occurs. The amplitude of the reflected signal corresponds to a bend angle.

Abstract: A kinesthetic sensor measure angular displacement of body parts of users by measuring a density of substances contained in a conduit of the kinesthetic sensor. For example, the kinesthetic sensor measures the density of substance including in a conduit by transmitting a signal into the conduit and measuring the signal after the signal passes through the conduit and one or more substances included in the conduit. Based on the density of the one or more substances included in the conduit from the measured signal, an angular displacement of a user's body part proximate to the kinesthetic sensor is determined. Kinesthetic sensors may use different architectures such as an open-loop, a closed-loop architecture, or an architecture using blood vessels as conduits. Additionally, kinesthetic sensors can be flexible to conform to physical contours of different body parts.

Abstract: A system modifies data generating haptic feedback to account for changes in user perception of haptic feedback. The system identifies haptic data and determines an estimated amplitude of haptic feedback corresponding to a portion of the haptic data. Responsive to the estimated amplitude of the haptic feedback corresponding to the portion of the haptic data exceeding a threshold value, a refractory period is determined that will occur after haptic feedback corresponding to the portion of the haptic data is applied to the user. The portion of the haptic data is provided to an input interface, and a set of haptic data associated with times within a duration of the refractory period from the identified haptic data is removed to form an adjusted data set that is provided to the input interface to provide haptic feedback to the user in accordance with adjusted haptic data set.

Abstract: A system tracks movement of the VR input device relative to a portion of a user's skin, track movement of the VR input device relative to a physical surface external to the VR input device, or both. The system includes an illumination source integrated with a tracking glove coupled to a virtual reality console, and the illumination source is configured to illuminate a portion of skin on a finger of a user. The system includes an optical sensor integrated with the glove, and the optical sensor is configured to capture a plurality of images of the illuminated portion of skin. The system includes a controller configured to identify differences between one or more of the plurality of images, and to determine estimated position data based in part on the identified differences.

Abstract: A deformation sensing apparatus comprises an elastic substrate, a conductive element, and an additional conductive element. The conductive element includes conductive joints that are separated from each other by resolving elements along a length of the conductive element. Different combinations of conductive joints and resolving elements correspond to different segments of the deformation sensing apparatus. Based on a change in capacitance between a conductive joint and the additional conductive element when a strain is applied to the deformation sensing apparatus, the deformation sensing apparatus generates a signal that allows determination of how the strain deforms the deformation sensing apparatus.

Abstract: A deformation sensing fabric comprises a fabric substrate comprising a first fabric layer and a first conductive element woven into the first fabric layer. The first conductive element outputs a first instrumented signal, responsive to an applied stimulus signal, indicative of a measure of change in an electrical property of the first conductive element in response to a strain applied to the fabric substrate along a long-axis of the first conductive element. The first conductive element is instrumented by a measurement system which stimulates the first conductive element and measures an electrical property of the first conductive element.