A US patent granted to Sony
reveals research on VR face tracking, a vital technology for the future of
multiplayer and social VR. Titled Integration of tracked facial features for VR
users in virtual reality environments, the patent describes the use of one or
more cameras on the underside or nosegap of the headset to capture the user’s
mouth and facial expression in real time. This tracked data would be
represented on a virtual avatar, shown to other users online in multiplayer
games. Imagine seeing your friend gasp, smile, or laugh inside a shared virtual
world- that future is on the horizon. As with previous Sony patents, the headset
also contains eye tracking so that your gaze is represented.
The patent describes a few
interesting techniques to deal with the occlusion issues- the cameras not being
able to see the whole face. A flex sensor pressing against the user’s face is proposed,
as well as a way to sense the exact position of the nose flap so that it isn’t
detected as part of the user’s face. Facebook, the company behind the Oculus VR
brand, has shown off similar technology over the past few years. There’s no
indication that this technology will ship in PlayStation VR 2, Sony’s highly
anticipated upcoming headset for PlayStation 5. It could be research for
headsets even further in the future. Oftentimes patented ideas by major
companies never come to fruition at all.
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