Uses a gyroscope inside a handheld hilt/virtual weapon to change its resistance to movement, simulating the physical feel and momentum of swinging a bladed weapon like a lightsaber.
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for using a gyroscope to change the resistance of moving a virtual weapon to simulate a feel of moving the virtual weapon. A feel of moving a virtual weapon may be simulated by determining a position and/or an orientation of a virtual blade of the virtual weapon, determining controls for a gyroscope based on the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade, and operating the gyroscope in accordance with the controls for the gyroscope to provide resistance to changing the orientation of the hilt, wherein the resistance to changing the orientation of the hilt simulates the feel of moving the virtual weapon.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a system configured to simulate a feel of moving a virtual weapon.
FIG. 2 illustrates a method for simulating a feel of moving a virtual weapon.
FIG. 3A illustrates an example of a hilt.
FIG. 3B illustrates examples of rotational axes of a hilt.
FIGS. 3C-3E illustrate examples of rotations of a hilt.
FIGS. 4A-4G illustrate examples of landmarks on hilts.
FIGS. 5A-6E illustrate examples of virtual blades augmenting the appearances of hilts.
FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate examples of virtual blade rotations.
FIGS. 8A-8B illustrate examples of changing virtual blades.
FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a virtual blade touching a virtual barrier.
FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a virtual blade touching a door.DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 configured to simulate a feel of moving a virtual weapon. System 10 may include one or more of processor 11, display 12, image sensor 13, motion and orientation sensor 14, gyroscope 15, electronic storage 16, bus 17, a hilt,and/or other components. The hilt may be configured to carry (e.g., attach to, support, hold, and/or otherwise carry) one or more components of system 10. To simulate a feel of moving a virtual weapon, a position and/or an orientation of a virtual blade of the virtual weapon may be determined. The virtual blade may be selected and placed within an overlay image according to the position a
1. A system for simulating a feel of moving a virtual weapon, the system comprising: a display configured to display an overlay image; an image sensorconfigured to generate visual output signals conveying visual information within a field of view of the image sensor; a hilt; a motion and orientation sensor carried by the hilt, the motion and orientation sensor configured to generate motion and/or orientation output signals conveying motion and/or orientation information of the hilt; a gyroscope carried by the hilt; and one or more processors configured by machine readable instructions to: determine a position and/or an orientation of a virtual blade of the virtual weapon based on the visual output signals and/or the motion and/or orientation output signals; determine the overlay image comprising the virtual blade, wherein the virtual blade is placed within the overlay image according to the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade; effectuate displaying of the overlay image on the display so that the virtual blade appearsto be attached to the hilt; determine controls for the gyroscope based on the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade; and effectuate operation of the gyroscope in accordance with the controls for the gyroscope to provide resistance to changing the orientation of the hilt, wherein the resistance to changing the orientation of the hilt simulatesthe feel of moving the virtual weapon.
10. A method for simulating a feel of moving a virtual weapon, the method comprising: generating visual output signals conveying visual information within a field of view of an image sensor; generate motion and/or orientation output signals conveying motion and/or orientation information of a hilt; determining a position and/or an orientation of a virtual blade of the virtual weapon based on the visual output signals and/or the motion and/or orientation output signals; determining an overlay image comprising the virtual blade, wherein the virtual blade is placed within the overlay image according to the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade; effectuating displaying of the overlay image on the display so that the virtual blade appears to be attached to the hilt; determining controls for a gyroscope based on the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade; and effectuating operation of the gyroscope in accordance with the controls for the gyroscope to provide resistance to changing the orientation of the hilt, wherein the resistance to changing the orientation of the hilt simulates the feel of moving the virtual weapon.
19. A system for simulating a feel of moving a virtual weapon, the system comprising: a display configured to display an overlay image; a speaker; a haptic generator; an image sensor configured to generate visual output signals conveying visual information within a field of view of the image sensor; a hilt; a motion and orientation sensor carried by the hilt, the motion and orientation sensor configured to generate motion and/or orientation output signals conveying motion and/or orientation information ofthe hilt; a gyroscope carried by the hilt, wherein the gyroscope includes a first gyroscope carried in a first portion of the hilt and a second gyroscope carried in a second portion of the hilt, wherein the first portion and the second portion are located in different ends of the hilt; and one or more processors configured by machine readable instructions to: determine a position and/or an orientation of a virtual blade of the virtual weapon based on the visual output signals and/or the motion and/or orientation output signals; determine the overlay image comprising the virtual blade, wherein the virtual blade is placed within the overlay image according to the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade; effectuate displaying of the overlay image on the display so that the virtual blade appears to be attached to the hilt; effectuate operation of the speaker in response to changes in the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade based one or more of the visual output signals and/or the motion and/or orientation output signals; effectuate operation of the haptic generator in response to the changes in the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade based one or more of the visual output signals and/or the motionand/or orientation output signals; determine controls for the gyroscope based on the position and/or the orientation of the virtual blade; and effectuate operation of the gyroscope in accordance with the controls for the gyroscope to provide resistance to changing the orientation of the hilt, wherein the resistance to changing the orientation of the hilt simulates the feel of moving the virtual weapon.