So last week a patent arrived at the American Patent Office, from Microsoft, differing a great deal from what we've seen so far.
The patent reads: "Avatar Individualized by Physical Charecteristic" and is meant for use with the Xbox360. As the name implies, the patent covers the oppertunity to create an Avatar that takes your physical appereance/condition and health into account.
But here's the interesting part:
The information about how healthy you are, will not only decide how your avatar is going to look, but also decide on what functions your avatar may utilize.
For example, if you've got a bad health you may partly or completely be blocked out of functions/activities in a certain game, in that way "motivating" (forcing?) the user to get into shape.
The patent also describes how several of a given persons health-status will be read. Via Camera, voice analysis, or transmitters placed on the body.
There has been no information regarding when or where Microsoft has planned to use the patent. Though it might happen in colaboration with the release of Natal.
Outtake of the patent:
An avatar generator for a virtual environment reflects a physiological characteristic of the user, injecting a degree of reality into the capabilities or appearance. Thereby, many of the incentives of the real world are replicated in a virtual environment. Physiological data that reflect a degree of health of the real person can be linked to rewards of capabilities of a gaming avatar, an amount of time budgeted to play, or a visible indication. Thereby, people are encouraged to exercise. Physiological data that reflect the health and perhaps also mood also improve social interaction in virtual environments. People seeking to meet and become acquainted with particular types of people are not thwarted by the artificiality of avatars. The physiological data can be gleaned from a third party health data collection repository, a healthcare smart card, a real-time physiological sensor (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, peak flow, pedometer, etc.)
Read the entire pantent on; http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220090309891%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20090309891&RS=DN/20090309891
NB! This is just speculation at the moment here, guys. I'm just relaying the news.
Edit: What do you think? Potential succes, or ultimate failure?
The patent reads: "Avatar Individualized by Physical Charecteristic" and is meant for use with the Xbox360. As the name implies, the patent covers the oppertunity to create an Avatar that takes your physical appereance/condition and health into account.
But here's the interesting part:
The information about how healthy you are, will not only decide how your avatar is going to look, but also decide on what functions your avatar may utilize.
For example, if you've got a bad health you may partly or completely be blocked out of functions/activities in a certain game, in that way "motivating" (forcing?) the user to get into shape.
The patent also describes how several of a given persons health-status will be read. Via Camera, voice analysis, or transmitters placed on the body.
There has been no information regarding when or where Microsoft has planned to use the patent. Though it might happen in colaboration with the release of Natal.
Outtake of the patent:
An avatar generator for a virtual environment reflects a physiological characteristic of the user, injecting a degree of reality into the capabilities or appearance. Thereby, many of the incentives of the real world are replicated in a virtual environment. Physiological data that reflect a degree of health of the real person can be linked to rewards of capabilities of a gaming avatar, an amount of time budgeted to play, or a visible indication. Thereby, people are encouraged to exercise. Physiological data that reflect the health and perhaps also mood also improve social interaction in virtual environments. People seeking to meet and become acquainted with particular types of people are not thwarted by the artificiality of avatars. The physiological data can be gleaned from a third party health data collection repository, a healthcare smart card, a real-time physiological sensor (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, peak flow, pedometer, etc.)
Read the entire pantent on; http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220090309891%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20090309891&RS=DN/20090309891
NB! This is just speculation at the moment here, guys. I'm just relaying the news.
Edit: What do you think? Potential succes, or ultimate failure?
), and his pet monkey, Mojo Jojo.
