SYSTEM FOR SIMULATING HUMAN RESPONSE TO EXTERNAL PHYSICAL STIMULI
The present invention relates to a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, particularly but not exclusively useful and practical in the field of adult entertainment services, of sex education or scientific research, or in all cases in which one wishes to simulate the response of one or more people to external physical stimuli applied to their body.
These external physical stimuli can be of various kinds, comprising for example manifestations of affection, sexual stimulations, or more generally any type of physical effect on the human body or organism.
One possible use of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention is adult entertainment services, where simulation of the sexual response of one or more people can be useful both for recreational activities and to provide third parties with a more complete sexual representation of said one or more people.
For example, the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention is particularly useful in cases in which individuals or couples do not want a direct sexual encounter with other people but still wish to experience advanced forms of interaction.
The system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention offers very interesting opportunities also for sex education and scientific research. It is in fact unquestionable that the availability of systems that reproduce the responses of real people in contexts of physical exchange can have an important role in the field of demonstration and/or research.
For example, consider a teacher who, by means of the system according to the invention, can explain human sexuality, in all of its components, to his/her students in an interactive and repeatable manner without having to resort to real people or to embarrassing and inaccurate videos.
Various types of systems, devices or products adapted to represent or reproduce the response of one or more people to external physical stimuli applied to their body, typically by using modern multimedia technology, are currently known.
However, these known technical solutions are not free from drawbacks, as will become apparent in the continuation of the present description. In general, existing solutions do not offer actual interactivity and therefore the users cannot truly appreciate and assess fully the other people who respond to the external physical stimuli.
In order to represent or reproduce the response of one or more people to external physical stimuli, a large number of examples are known which comprise products ranging from static images to videos, proposed to users both by means of fixed devices, such as for example television sets and desktop computers, and by means of mobile devices, such as for example smartphones and tablets.
It should be noted that in the present description the term "video" is to be understood also in its broadest meaning, which corresponds to audiovisual content.
With particular reference to videos, standard videos, which are entirely not interactive, stereoscopic videos, also entirely not interactive but providing a more realistic viewing, and so-called "interactive" videos, thus termed since they offer the user a semblance of interactivity which however is not true, are known.
So-called "interactive" videos are in fact typically footage divided into a plurality of clips or taken from multiple angles. "Interactive" videos in clips allow the user to proceed and advance in the scenes of the plot of the video by selecting, at some decision nodes, one among the various available branches. In practice, the plot of the video develops along a choice tree, constituted by the decision nodes, which can lead to different intermediate and final scenes of the plot, the choices being selectable for example by means of menus in various forms.
However, in these cases one cannot speak of true interactivity, since the user controls only some nodes of the plot, which however is entirely predetermined; therefore, the progression of the scenes in the plot occurs by means of the sequential arrangement of predetermined discrete blocks.
"Interactive" videos taken from multiple angles or with wide-angle lenses allow the user to place himself/hereself virtually at multiple viewpoints to view the same scene, on which however he/she has no control or only a "tree-like" control by means of a menu, as described above. The effect for the user is a greater involvement, but the sequence of the scenes in the plot is always predetermined.
Currently there are also known simulation systems which model the behavior of a system and make it evolve over time according to equations, algorithms, internal states and external inputs, which are not applied to the simulation of the physical responses of people and are commonly limited to the field of vehicle control: for example, flight simulators, ship simulators, ground vehicle simulators and so forth are known.
These known simulation systems are used at most for sociological or engineering modeling of the behavior of a mass of people in traffic or in emergency situations. In the field of video games, too, simulations are of the "mass" type or are limited to "non-playing" characters.
Other known products are erotic gadgets, in particular anatomical parts or full bodies, which recently are attempting to introduce forms of interactivity. Sometimes these erotic gadgets also comprise audio playback devices which provide recordings which are not interactive but are themed.
US 2005/014560 discloses a method and system for simulating interaction which comprises the playback of audio and/or video sequences associated with sensors for example of the mechanical or electronic type, which in practice act as buttons or keys configured to start the playback of a specific audio and/or video sequence, which is rigidly associated with each one of them. Some types of these sensors can detect, for example, their frequency of actuation by the user, which reflects the urgency of the stimulation applied by the user, starting different audio and/or video sequences or a same sequence at a speed that depends on the actuation frequency.
Therefore, the playback of audio and/or video sequences depends exclusively on the rigid association of each one of these sequences with respective sensors, which start them mechanically or electronically. In practice, this is an ordinary system for selection of audio and/or video sequences by means of a menu. The actuation frequency, i.e., the urgency of the stimulation applied, is only a value detected by the sensors, which therefore depends exclusively on the instantaneous actions of the user on said sensors.
The aim of the present invention is to overcome the limitations of the background art described above, by providing a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli that allows to obtain effects that are similar to or better than those obtainable with known solutions, modeling and simulating the behavior of one or more people, taken individually, in response to external physical stimuli, in order to allow the user an interaction over time that is as close as possible to the interaction that would be obtained in the actual presence of the individual person, appreciating and assessing fully the response of said person to multiple external physical stimuli as if said person were actually in front of the user.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to conceive a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli that allows to overcome the passive viewing of a static image, a video or another multimedia recording, typically only with control of the advancement of the playback and perhaps with the selection, at decision nodes, of one of the various branches available along a choice tree. Another object of the present invention is to devise a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli that allows to acquire multiple categories of stimuli which produce different responses on different people, these responses progressing along a natural advancement scale up to a peak level.
A further object of the present invention is to devise a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli that allows to continue at different speeds along the scale, go back in the absence of stimuli (or in the presence of opposite stimuli), skip instantaneously to predetermined key points at the user's request and return to a specific advancement level after the peak step.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli in which the trends, the level of specific sensitivity of a person to each stimulus, the attenuations and the activation thresholds, are parametric and allow accordingly to reproduce extremely diverse response models, creating a realism of the simulation that produces the effect of suspension of disbelief that is so much sought by the users in products and entertainment services in general.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli that is highly reliable, relatively simple to provide and at modest costs.
This aim, as well as these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, comprising a mobile device comprising a simulation engine, storage means adapted to store one or more simulatable response models, each corresponding to a single simulatable person or to a group of multiple simulatable people, and audiovisual playback means, characterized in that it comprises stimulation means operated by a user and adapted to input to said simulation engine a plurality of stimuli, and in that said simulation engine is configured to calculate an excitement coefficient [Exc] as a function of said plurality of stimuli in input, input by said user by way of said stimulation means, and as a function of one of said simulatable response models, and to choose a specific sequence to be played back at the end of each preceding sequence, on the basis of said excitement coefficient [Exc].
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, illustrated by way of nonlimiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a block diagram that illustrates schematically an embodiment of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic view of a possible operation of the simulation engine of an embodiment of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, according to the present invention;
Figure 3 is a view of a possible interface screen shown to a user by an embodiment of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, according to the present invention.
With reference to the cited figures, the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, substantially comprises a mobile device 12, which comprises a simulation engine 14, stimulation means 16, selection means 18, storage means 20, and audiovisual playback means 22.
The stimulation means 16, comprised within the mobile device 12 of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, are operated by the user and offer said user the possibility to introduce in the simulation system 10, in particular in input to the simulation engine 14, a plurality of stimuli of various forms and intensities.
In practice, the stimuli in input are produced by the action of the user on the stimulation means 16, by virtue of gestures or movements that can be detected by the stimulation means 16.
In one embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the stimulation means 16 comprise a touchscreen 40 of the mobile device 12, which is sensitive to touching and sliding thereon on the part of the user 50.
In another embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the stimulation means 16 comprise one or more motion sensors of the mobile device 12, constituted for example by an accelerometer, which are capable of detecting the movements of the user and the acceleration of said movements.
In a preferred embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the stimulation means 16 comprise both a touchscreen 40 of the mobile device 12 and one or more motion sensors of the mobile device 12, so that the user can alternate their use depending on the step of interaction that is simulated in a given period of time.
The execution by the user 50 of gestures on the touchscreen 40 of the mobile device 12, in the options in which this action is possible (such as for example "petting"), produces an increase in the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person according to the extent, direction and speed of the gesture, this increase being modulated by a sensitivity map or grid 44 that is superimposed on the displayed image 42 seen by the user 50.
In practice, the faster and the more broadly the user 50 strokes a point, the greater is the stimulus introduced in the simulation system 10 according to the invention, in particular in input to the simulation engine 14, and consequently the greater is the increase of the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person.
However, the points touched by the user 50 with the gesture on the displayed image 42 produce a greater or smaller effect depending on the sensitivity map or grid 44. The map 44 in fact defines a plurality of areas that have mutually different sensitivity coefficients, but each area has a uniform sensitivity coefficient within.
Of course, for better use on the part of the user 50, the sensitivity map or grid 44 is displayed only during development and then remains entirely transparent in terms of viewing by the user 50.
The execution by the user 50 of movements that can be detected by the motion sensors of the mobile device 12, in the options in which this action is provided (such as for example "intercourse"), produces an increase in the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person according to the extent, direction, speed, acceleration of the motion. Greater accelerations correspond to greater increases in the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person, depending on a global sensitivity level.
In one embodiment of the system 10 for stimulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the user can set the level of sensitivity of the motion sensors manually, defining it numerically and/or by selecting it from preset values.
In one embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the user can let the simulation system 10 set the level of sensitivity of the motion sensors automatically.
In the automatic set up, the simulation system 10 according to the. invention analyzes the history data of motion, acceleration and so forth detected by the motion sensors, and determines the average value, the maximums and minimums. Depending on the history data of the last seconds of simulation, an algorithm selects an adaptive value of the level of sensitivity that allows to obtain a stimulation value within a standard interval.
This normalization then allows to set for each person, within the corresponding response model, a personal sensitivity [Sens] which modulates the normalized value that is output by the preceding stages.
In practice it is possible to move the mobile device 12 in very different manners, obtaining a similar response from the same simulated person and a different response from one simulated person to another. Therefore, the manner in which the movements of the user can be transferred to the simulation system 10 are many and with the adaptive sensitivity level the result is always satisfactory.
In one embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the stimulation means 16 can also comprise external devices which allow to introduce in the simulation system 10, in particular in input to the simulation engine 14, information regarding the level and/or type of other stimuli.
By virtue of the modular structure of the simulation system 10 according to the invention, in fact, it is only necessary to provide a physical or wireless connection and a driver for interfacing in order to add other stimuli that modify the current excitement coefficient [Exc] and/or the order and playback of the sequences being executed.
The selection means 18, comprised within the mobile device 12 of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, are operated by the user and offer said user the possibility to select, and signal to the simulation engine 14, the person whose response is to be simulated, the latter being represented by a corresponding response model which will be discussed in the continuation of the present description.
In one preferred embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the selection means 18 offer the user also the possibility to select the specific step of interaction with the person selected to be simulated in a given period of time, so that the simulation system 10 displays audio, photographic or audiovisual content from different sets depending on the specific selected interaction step.
By way of example, in an initial step (for example "petting"), the user sees the selected person in the body part that is being stroked, whereas in a subsequent step (for example "intercourse") the user sees the selected person in the upper part of the trunk and face.
Likewise, in another preferred embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the user can choose, again by virtue of the selection means 18, prone or supine positions of the selected person, displaying said person with different images, sounds or videos.
In the transition from one activity or position to another, the simulation system 10 according to the invention maintains the current excitement coefficient [Exc], providing the user with an experience that is fully similar to that which the user would have with a real person with which the activity or position is changed, again within a single interaction session.
In another preferred embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the selection means 18 can offer the user also the possibility to control the simulation, starting in an asynchronous manner specific sequences on the basis of the qualitative definition of the response model of the selected person.
For this purpose, the selection means 18 of the simulation system 10 offer controls to skip immediately to a specific value of the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person on a numeric or semantic basis. The numeric choice can be proposed to the user with a slider control or the like which allow to set a specific value (for example 57%). The semantic choice instead offers the user the possibility to skip to a predefined excitement coefficient value [Exc] within the response model of the selected person, which is different for each individual person, and is typically labeled with a symbolic name, such as for example the "instant orgasm" command which can bring the selected simulated person immediately to the peak of excitement.
The storage means 20, comprised within the mobile device 12 of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, are adapted to store the response model of every individual person whose behavior can be simulated, as well as the sequences of audio, photographic or audiovisual content that can be played back. The simulation engine 14 retrieves from these storage means 20 part of the information and data required for its operations, such as for example the response models or the sequences of audio, photographic or audiovisual content to be played back.
For example, if the simulation system 10 according to the invention is configured to simulate the response to external physical stimuli of ten people, the storage means 20 have ten different response models, each model corresponding to a single person.
This response model is defined by processing "raw" material, constituted typically by audio, photographic or audiovisual content derived from the recording of one or more sessions of actual physical interaction of the single person with himself/herself or with other people.
In particular, within the definition of the response model, a series of parameters is defined on the basis of the simulation requirements and is then acquired directly or indirectly from the above cited recordings.
By way of example, the response model of a person can be defined by a technician who analyzes the "raw" material, even with optional quantitative modes, for example by measuring the time that elapses between the initial stimulus and the peak of excitement in the person, and produces a model of qualitative flow and specific quantitive parameters.
The response model of a person further comprises specific sequences of said audio, photographic or audiovisual content, which have a short duration and can be played back without appreciable "jumps" in the transition from one to the other or in the repetition of the same sequence. In particular, these sequences of audio, photographic or audiovisual content are combined with each other in various manners, constituting a plurality of sequences.
The creation and storage of these specific audio, photographic or audiovisual sequences is necessary in order to play back the plurality of sequences which, performed appropriately by the simulation system 10, produces a scene that is apparently continuous but always variable and not predetermined.
In one embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the storage means 20 comprise at least one database that resides on appropriate memory media included in the mobile device 12.
The audiovisual playback means 22, comprised in the mobile device 12 of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, are adapted to represent the simulated person, or the result of the simulation performed by the simulation engine 14, offering the user the sequences chosen among the ones available and therefore the corresponding audio, photographic or audiovisual content.
In a preferred embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, the audiovisual playback means 22 comprise a screen or display and at least one loudspeaker.
The simulation engine 14, comprised within the mobile device 12 of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli, calculates an excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person as a function of the input stimuli entered by the user by means of the stimulation means 16, and as a function of the response model of the person selected by the user by virtue of the selection means 18.
Depending on the value of the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person, which is calculated in each instance, the simulation engine 14 chooses which specific sequence is played back at the end of each preceding sequence, each sequence comprising audio, photographic or audiovisual content.
The transition of the coefficient [Exc] from one value to another, and consequently from one interval to another, as will become better apparent in the continuation of the present description, is controlled by various algorithms, which depend on the state of the simulation, on the parameters of the response model of the selected person, and on the stimuli in input from the user.
If there are no stimuli in input from the user, entered by means of the stimulation means 16, the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person decreases at a rate [Edec] that can be parameterized in the response model of the individual person and is therefore different for each person. In practice, different people remain excited for a shorter or longer time in the absence of external physical stimuli. The decrease of the excitement coefficient [Exc] can be linear or nonlinear, depending on the qualitative modeling of the response of the individual person.
If instead there are stimuli in input, the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person increases depending on the specific algorithm of acquisition of the stimuli entered by the user by means of the stimulation means 16. It should be noted that different stimuli on the part of the user at different times have different effects on the value of the excitement coefficient [Exc].
Operation of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention is described hereinafter.
Once the simulation has been started, the simulation system 10 plays a specific sequence, by means of the audiovisual playback means 22, and at its end another sequence or the same sequence depending on algorithmic and mathematical decisions of the simulation engine 14, in response to the stimuli in input entered by the user by virtue of the stimulation means 16.
The resulting effect is a simulation of human interaction that is perceptively continuous and potentially infinite, in which the order of the sequences is extremely variable, not only from person to person but even from one simulation session to another of the same person.
In practice, the sequences are divided and distributed in intervals that illustrate the response of the individual simulated person from the neutral step, in which the excitement coefficient [Exc] is equal to 0%, to the excitement peak, where the excitement coefficient [Exc] is equal to 100%. These ranges can vary from two to a desired number [nSeq], which is normally equal to four, five or six.
By way of example, with reference to Figure 2, the ranges 30 can be six in total ([nSeq] = 6).
In range zero ([Seq] = 0), the person is substantially neutral, i.e., an excitement coefficient [Exc] comprised between 0% and 10%; in range one ([Seq] = 1 ) the person is slightly excited, i.e., an excitement coefficient [Exc] comprised between 1 1% and 30%; in range two ([Seq] = 2), the person is partially excited, i.e., an excitement coefficient [Exc] comprised between 3 1 % and 50%, and so forth, until the final range five ([Seq] = 5), where the person has substantially reached his/her peak of excitement, i.e., with an excitement coefficient [Exc] comprised between 91% and 100%.
In one embodiment of the invention, during the neutral step of a person, i.e., in range zero ([Seq] = 0), the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli invites the user to interact, and therefore act on the stimulation means 16, this invitation being presented to the user by means of the audiovisual playback means 22 and with a period [Inv] that can be parameterized in the response model of the individual person and is therefore different for each person.
A peak sequence is run by the simulation system 10, by means of the audiovisual playback means 22, when the person reaches 100% excitement, or for example when the person reaches the highest range among the ranges 30.
In one preferred embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, this peak sequence can be chosen between two, three or more alternative sequences.
By way of example, with reference to Figure 2, the simulation system 10, and in particular the simulation engine 14, can choose randomly between the peak sequences F(, ¥2 or F , these sequences being common both in the case of a rising excitement coefficient [Exc], see table 32, and in the case of a decreasing excitement coefficient [Exc], see table 34.
After the playback of the peak sequence, as mentioned chosen randomly every time to produce a certain variety, the simulation resumes from a specific value [Eap] of the excitement coefficient [Exc] of the simulated person, the value [Eap] being parameterizable in the response model of the individual person and being therefore different for every person. In practice it is possible to define in the response model of every single simulated person how much it loses in excitement after each peak.
In general, each sequence is assigned to a specific range of values of the excitement coefficient [Exc] and each range can comprise one or more sequences. Therefore, the simulation system 10 according to the invention orders and plays back, by means of the audiovisual playback means 22, specific sequences associated with the range of values of the current excitement coefficient [Exc], choosing them among the ones that have been labeled beforehand as pertinent to that interval, with random choices that produce a stimulating variety.
The system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, and in particular the simulation engine 14, considers other internal states that allow to model qualitatively the behavior of the individual person in response to external physical stimuli.
In one embodiment of the invention, one of these internal states represents the "push" or "release" condition [Fpush]. If the person has not received stimuli for a period that can be parameterized with [Tpush], the excitement coefficient [Exc] decreases and the state [Fpush] is false, whereas if the person has received stimuli the excitement coefficient [Exc] increases and the state [Fpush] is true.
The simulation system 10 according to the invention orders and plays back, by means of the audiovisual playback means 22, specific sequences associated with the range of values of the current excitement coefficient [Exc], choosing them randomly from two distinct sets 32 (increasing [Exc]) and 34 (decreasing [Exc]), depending on the state of [Fpush].
In practice, the set of sequences 34 provides, for each range of values of the excitement coefficient [Exc], the response of the simulated person selected by the user when the person is not stimulated for a time that is longer than or equal to [Tpush], while the set of sequences 32 provides the response of the simulated person selected by the user when the person is stimulated, for the same range of values of the excitement coefficient.
This mechanism allows to model the fact that, during stimulation, the person reacts differently when he/she is not stimulated for a few seconds.
By way of example, with reference to Figure 2, the simulation system 10, and in particular the simulation engine 14, can choose randomly among six different alternative sequences for each interval, three in the case of a rising excitement coefficient [Exc], see table 32, and three in the case of a decreasing excitement coefficient, see table 34.
For example, in range two ([Seq] = 2), which corresponds to an excitement coefficient [Exc] comprised between 31 % and 50%, the simulation system 10, and in particular the simulation engine 14, can choose randomly among the sequences C i , C2 and C3 in the case of an increasing excitement coefficient [Exc] and among the sequences X1 ? X2 and X3 in the case of a decreasing excitement coefficient [Exc].
Again with reference by way of example to Figure 2, it should be noted that the neutral sequences A|, A2 and A3 and the peak sequences F |, F? or F3 are exceptions to what has been stated above, since they are the same both in the case of an increasing excitement coefficient [Exc], see table 32, and in the case of a decreasing excitement coefficient [Exc], see table 34. In practice, in these two extreme cases the state of [Fpush] is not considered.
Therefore, the simulation system 10, and in particular the simulation engine 14, can choose randomly only among three sequences, not six as stated above, in range zero ([Seq] = 0), which corresponds to an excitement coefficient [Exc] comprised between 0% and 10%, and in range five ([Seq] = 5 ), which corresponds to an excitement coefficient [Exc] comprised between 91% and 100%.
In one embodiment of the invention, the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli also offers the possibility to set, by means of the selection means 18, stimulation thresholds which, if exceeded, start specific sequences in an asynchronous manner, returning at their end to the normal order of the sequences of the current excitement coefficient [Exc].
This mechanism allows to model the "impulsive" response of a subject to instantaneous peaks of stimulation or to the use of actions/tools offered by the user interface.
By way of example, the simulation system 10, and in particular the simulation engine 14, can choose among the following audiovisual sequences:
1 ) invitation;
2) breath A;
3) breath B;
4) breath C;
5) sigh A;
6) sigh B;
7) sigh C; 8) moan A;
9) moan B;
10) orgasm A;
1 1 ) orgasm B.
The simulation system 10 might display the sequence 1 continuously upon starting, while awaiting stimuli applied by the user. The sequence 1 might be started after a period of silence of different duration at each iteration and chosen randomly, with parameters [Minimumlntervallnvitation] and [Maximumlntervallnvitation]. In this manner, the simulated person might invite periodically, but not mechanically, the user to interact with him/her.
Upon input of the first stimulus, the simulation system 10 begins to raise the excitement coefficient [Exc], which, when it is greater than zero, starts the repeated and continuous playback of the sequences of the group from 2 to 7. If the excitement coefficient [Exc] returned to zero, the simulation system 10 would return to the sequence 1 , displayed in the manner described above.
When the excitement coefficient [Exc] is greater than zero and smaller than 100, the simulation system 10 displays repeatedly one of the sequences 2 to 4, depending on the range of the excitement coefficient [Exc], according to specific parameters for each sequence, such as for example [Exc] from 1 % to 33% repeat sequence 2, [Exc] from 34% to 66% repeat sequence 3, [Exc] from 67% to 99% repeat sequence 4.
This operation allows to reproduce a continuous breathing of the simulated person, by virtue of the repetition of the same sequence that contains a single respiratory act, the excitement of which perceived by the user increases as the excitement coefficient [Exc] increases.
Since the excitement coefficient [Exc] depends on the stimuli applied by the user, the resulting effect is very realistic and reproduces a simulated person who becomes increasingly excited as he/she is stimulated. Of course, in another embodiment of the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical' stimuli according to the invention, the number of sequences and of relative ranges of the excitement coefficient [Exc] might vary in number, for example 10 sequences pertinent to the range 1 %- 10%, 1 1 %-20%, . . ., 91 %-99%).
At the same time, the excitement coefficient [Exc] decreases every second, with a parameter [RateOfUnexcitement], so that in the absence of stimuli on the part of the user the excitement exhibited by the simulated person progressively decreases, ultimately reaching zero to then resume inviting the user.
Clearly, the excitement exhibited by the simulated person depends at each instant on the total number and on the type of the stimuli applied by the user, as well as on the elapsed time, as described above. Likewise, clearly there is no preset duration, as instead occurs for any other multimedia product, since the simulation can proceed even endlessly.
The increase of the excitement coefficient [Exc] is modulated by numeric parameters, which indicates the sensitivity of the simulated person and are applied to the absolute value of the instantaneous acceleration, parameter [AccelerationAmplification], and to the value of the sum of the translation and speed of said translation of the touch of the user on sensitive parts, parameter [TouchSensitivity], preferably with the sensitivity grid or map 44 superimposed on the displayed image.
Moving from sessions with only touching on the image shown of a part of the body of the simulated person (such as for example "petting") to other sessions for control with the accelerometers alone (such as for example "intercourse"), the different types of stimuli can be activated or deactivated depending on the current simulation, or on the sequence being played back.
Upon reaching 100% of the excitement coefficient [Exc], the simulation system 10 moves on to the display of the sequence 10 or of the sequence 1 1 , chosen randomly and with optional different probabilities, parameters [Orgasm AFrequency] and [OrgasmBFrequency]. At the end of these sequences, the excitement coefficient [Exc] can decrease to a specific value, which is different for each simulated person, parameter [PostOrgasmExcitement]. The simulation then continues with the playback of the audiovisual sequences provided for the specific range of the excitement coefficient [Exc], as described above.
In an embodiment of the invention, touching special buttons, such as for example the one that corresponds to the "instant orgasm" command, instantly brings the excitement coefficient [Exc] to predefined values, for example 100% to start the sequence 10 or the sequence 1 1.
In an embodiment of the invention, the interface can provide for a control that allows the user to display and set at will the value of the excitement coefficient [Exc].
In an embodiment of the invention, in order to make the simulation of the person more interactive, one might provide alternative groups of audiovisual sequences, to be displayed as a replacement of the breathing sequences 2, 3 or 4, which would be displayed in case of detection of stimuli by the user.
In practice, the sighing sequences of the group 5 to 7 are played back as a replacement of the breathing sequences of the group 2 to 4, depending on the same intervals of the excitement coefficient [Exc]. These sighing sequences show a greater effect of the stimuli on the simulated person, so as to represent a strong response to the stimuli applied by the user.
Switching between the sequence groups 2-4 and 5-7 can occur as soon as the simulation system 10 detects stimuli by the user. The switching of the sequences of group 5-7 to those of group 2-4 can occur after a period during which the user does not provide stimuli, parameter [TimeOflnactivity],
In an embodiment of the invention, in order to render the simulation more variable, it is possible to reproduce special sequences such as the sequence 8 or the sequence 9 at the end of a breathing or sighing sequence, depending on the parameters [MoanAProbability] and [MoanBProbability].
Likewise, in an embodiment of the invention, it is possible to play back special sequences such as the sequence 8 or the sequence 9 in case of very strong stimuli, in order to simulate the response to impulsive stimulations above a certain threshold, parameters [MoanAStimulusThreshold] and [MoanBStimulusThreshold]. In this case, the special sequences 8 or 9 can interrupt the playback of the sequence in progress, exactly like an interrupt event would in an computer system, to then return to the normal order that depends on the range of the excitement coefficient [Exc].
In an embodiment of the invention, in order to render the user experience more variable, it is possible to provide multiple sequences for each interval of the excitement coefficient [Exc], chosen in each instance with specific frequency parameters. For example, the sequence 2 might actually be a group of three sequences (2. a, 2.b and 2.c), which simulate a level of excitement of the simulated person that is rather uniform, despite having small mutual differences.
As long as the excitement coefficient [Exc] remains in the range provided for this sequence 2, such as for example l %-33%, the simulation system 10 at the end of a sequence 2. a, 2.b or 2.c would display another one, or optionally even the same one, with a random choice which might have different probabilities, parameters [Sequence2aProbability] [Sequence2bProbability] and [Sequence2cProbability].
In one embodiment of the invention, the simulation system 10 can provide for a pre-amplification of each stimulus applied by the user, in order to uniform the signal in input, which is then processed as described above. The pre-amplification level might be displayable and settable by the user by means of a "sensitivity" parameter of the simulation session, so that this level can be optionally raised or lowered at will, rendering the simulated person more or less reactive to stimuli.
In an embodiment of the invention, an automatic adjustment system can maintain a recording of the values of the stimulation applied during the last seconds, so as to adapt the pre-amplification to the range of average values of the session, and produce a trend of the simulation that is substantially constant even if the average value of the stimuli of the user varies.
In summary, the proposed system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli offers the simulation of physical interaction with a selected person by playing back short sequences of audio, photographic or audiovisual content which, starting from a linear recording of a session of actual physical interaction, produce the effect of an actual mutual physical interaction between the actors of the simulation, i.e., the user and the individual person selected by the user that responds to the external physical stimuli.
The result is that different people produce very different simulated interactions and always appear to interact with the user, responding in a rapid and credible manner to the stimuli that the user himself/herself produces by acting on the stimulation means 16 of the mobile device 12, which comprise by way of example the touchscreen and one or more motion sensors, such as can be for example an accelerometer.
Variations in the interpretation on the part of the simulation engine 14 of the data that arrive from the stimulation means 16 can be presented as variants in the type of interaction proposed and therefore can model tastes, preferences and tendencies that are very different among the various people.
In one embodiment of the invention, the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli is of the distributed type, i.e., where the various components of the simulation system 10 do not reside within the same mobile device but use telematic networks or data links to communicate with each other and operate as described above.
In one embodiment of the invention, the system 10 for simulating human response to external physical stimuli can comprise a simulation engine 14 that is configured to produce the effects of multiple different people operating in unison on or on the same stimuli.
The system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention differs from known systems both in the mode of advancement of the multimedia playback and in the mode of stimulation of the simulated person, in particular with reference to the effect that these stimuli have on the simulated person.
In systems of the known type there is a direct correspondence between the stimulus and the multimedia playback, these known systems implementing in practice an ordinary menu or at most a tree-like control.
In the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, instead, there is no direct effect on the multimedia playback on the part of any stimulus applied by the user. These stimulations are in fact entered in input to an algorithmic system that is based on one or more internal parameters which only at a later stage control the playback of the multimedia content.
All the stimuli in input to the system according to the invention do not have a direct effect but produce variations of the internal states of the simulation engine, such as for example the excitement coefficient [Exc]. This coefficient models the instantaneous state of the simulated person, not the state of the instantaneous stimuli or of the user.
The excitement coefficient [Exc] is made to evolve by the actions of the user and by the passage of time. For each stimulus applied by the user, the excitement coefficient [Exc] is raised by a value that depends on the parameterization of the stimulus itself, by means of coefficients that are different from simulation to simulation and act as amplifiers of the numeric value of the stimulus, which in turn can derive from the point of application of the stimulus identified by means of a sensitivity grid or map that is superimposed on the image, or on the extent and frequency of the detected stimulation motion.
The excitement coefficient [Exc], moreover, can be modified or set to a specific value as a consequence of external events, such as for example a high instantaneous acceleration, or as a consequence of the completion of a specific sequence, for example being returned to 80% at the end of an orgasm.
The stimuli in input are parameterized and modulated in their action on the excitement coefficient [Exc] both in amplitude and in frequency and on the basis of the specific simulated person.
In systems of the known type, the audiovisual sequences are started by a logic of mechanical connection to a specific stimulus, or depend on the preceding sequence by means of a treelike structure, which is often characterized by an acyclic direct graph. Only the choice of the node, among the multiple nodes that follow the current node of the graph, depends on the instantaneous actions of the user.
In the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention, instead, the audiovisual sequences are grouped in homogeneous sets by ranges of excitement coefficient [Exc], which are conceived so that they can be linked in sequence without a perceivable lack of continuity.
The system according to the invention is not waiting for a stimulus on the part of the user, but has an audiovisual sequence in constant playback and plays back another one directly after the preceding one has ended, or as a consequence of external asynchronous events. In practice it is a sort of cellular automaton and is not a direct or acyclic graph.
In this manner, the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention produces on the user the impression of a "live show", since the simulation is not perceived as a playback that is controlled by means of a menu but rather as a communication channel at the opposite end of which a real person appears to be connected, as occurs for example in a videochat system. This effect of audiovisual continuity is indispensable for the realism of the simulation.
In order to obtain this effect, the sequences are played back by determining, in each instance, the subsequent sequence at the end of the preceding one, by means of decisions based on instantaneous internal parameters, such as for example the excitement coefficient [Exc], and global parameters, such as for example the list of sequences pertinent to the current range of the excitement coefficient [Exc].
External impulsive actions can determine the playback of a specific sequence asynchronously, for example in response to an intense shaking of the mobile device, and then return to the normal playback routine of the sequences for the current excitement coefficient [Exc], in practice implementing a functionality similar to the one known as "interrupt" or "subroutine" in computer programming.
The different parameterization of the amplification of the stimuli in input to the system according to the invention and of the sets of sequences for each range of the excitement coefficient [Exc], as well as specific algorithmic decisions that depend on sets of "if-then" blocks, implements strong differences among simulations of different people, which are not characterized therefore only for the aesthetic appearance of the audiovisual content or of the interfaces, but also for the different order over time of the audiovisual sequences, even for equal stimulations applied by the user.
In practice it has been found that the invention fully achieves the intended aim and objects. In particular, it has been shown that the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli thus conceived allows to overcome the qualitative limitations of the background art, since it allows to model and simulate the behavior of one or more people, taken individually, in response to external physical stimuli, in order to allow the user an interaction over time that is as much close as possible to the one that would be obtained in the presence of the individual person, appreciating and assessing fully the response of said person to multiple external physical stimuli as if he/she were actually in front of the user.
Another advantage of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention resides in that it allows to overcome the passive viewing of a static image, a video or another multimedia recording, typically only with control of the advancement of playback and perhaps with the selection, at decision nodes, of one among the various branches available along a tree of choices.
A further advantage of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention resides in that it allows to acquire multiple categories of stimuli, which produce different responses on different people, these responses, which are realistic and perceived as interactive, advance along a natural advancement scale, up to a peak level.
Another advantage of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention resides in that it allows a nonlinear trend of the simulated response as well as an asynchronous behavior following instantaneous variations of a stimulus above the threshold.
A further advantage of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention resides in that it allows to continue at different speeds along the scale, to go back in the absence of stimuli (or in the presence of opposite stimuli), skip instantly to preset key points at the user's request and return to a specific advancement level after the peak step.
Moreover, an advantage of the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention resides in that the trends, the specific level of sensitivity of a person to each stimulus, the attenuations and the activation thresholds, as well as the key points, are parametric and therefore allow to reproduce extremely different response models, creating a realism of the simulation that produce the "suspension of disbelief effect that is so greatly sought by user in products and entertainment services in general.
Although the system for simulating human response to external physical stimuli according to the invention has been conceived in particular for adult entertainment services, sex education and scientific research, it may in any case be used, more generally, for all cases in which one wishes to simulate the response of one or more people to external physical stimuli applied to their body.
The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; by way of non-limiting example, the person skilled in the art understands without effort that a function of recording of the stimuli applied by the user by means of the stimulation means can also be provided, in order to produce one or more reports related to the quality of the individual simulation session, in order to play back said simulation session in a non-interactive manner, or in order to allow third parties to assess the performance and other information that can be obtained from the recorded data. All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.
In practice, the materials used, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements and the state of the art.
To conclude the scope of the protection of the claims must not be limited by the illustrations or preferred embodiments shown in the description by way of example, but rather the claims must comprise all the characteristics of patentable novelty that reside in the present invention, including all the characteristics that would be treated as equivalents by the person skilled in the art. The disclosures in Italian Patent Application no. N. 1020150000821 14 (UB2015A006900), from which this application claims priority, are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.