Sony nabs patent for everyday object motion detection: the fragile glass of your TV won't know what hit it

All we've got to say is that they'd better be selling seats to the first living room demonstration of this tech when somebody gets cute and grabs a real baseball bat for a demo. Sony has filed a patent for technology using the PlayStation Eye which can detect regular objects in 3D space and file them away in a database for later use in gameplay. Naturally, the camera already does object motion detection of a sort with the blocky embedded codes on Eye of Judgement cards, but this seems to be taking that tech to a new level, and would imply that you won't necessarily need to be waggling that goofy ball-on-a-stick controller that Sony demoed at E3 for all upcoming motion control titles for the PS3. But for some reason we're sure we should be scared of whatever combination it does turn out to be.

[Via Joystiq]

[kevout Posted Jul 5th 2009 1:32PM]

MLB 2k11: Wiffle Ball Edition.

[albin2189 Posted Jul 5th 2009 2:40PM]

Does this mean it will only works if we own a barcelona chair?

[RAD Moose Posted Jul 5th 2009 2:44PM]

Horseshoes?

That is an EVERYDAY object?

I think Sony is trying to get their marketshare back in TVs buy promoting playing Horseshoe Video Games

[theehokage Posted Jul 5th 2009 2:48PM]

This would go great with dance dance revolution!

:D

[Jay Sathe Posted Jul 5th 2009 2:52PM]

I notice a severe lack of slim-ness on the PS3.....

[M3Ki Posted Jul 5th 2009 2:59PM]

the funiest thing is that the TV looks like a samsung LEDTV.

[engadget fanboy Posted Jul 5th 2009 3:25PM]

How can you tell what the tv looks like from that angle. You just want it to be a samsung. It could be anything. But yes Sony tv's are not quite up to snuff anymore.

[r34p3r Posted Jul 5th 2009 4:31PM]

There are an awful lot of people in this comment section that have absolutely no clue what they are talking about.

[FelixDraconis Posted Jul 5th 2009 3:45PM]

After seeing how incredibly bad Eye of Judgement was, I hope this thing dies an early grave before wasting my time again. Honestly, the Playstation Eye is such a horribly bad camera I don't see how it can 'recognize' anything being moved around. Sure, they could update it, but they'll always be behind the curve and it will end up a poor gimmick until tech improves.

Also, is anyone else bothered that you can patent something that people have been doing for years? Just because the technology has been too poor/slow for general use. I mean, this is hardly a new idea. Please reject this patent, guys at the patent office. It's an obvious application of technology and not the least bit innovative.

[darkquota Posted Jul 5th 2009 3:55PM]

Looks like MS and Sony need to find a way to attach a wrist strap to "everyday objects". First one to patent it wins.

[n49o7 Posted Jul 6th 2009 4:55AM]

How many months before we start hearing about some random guy who blew up his tv by shooting through it while he was playing house of the dead with a loaded gun?

[Happy Posted Jul 5th 2009 7:40PM]

[quote]No company plays catch up with Microsoft...Microsoft plays "copy and destroy".[/quote]

So does sony.

[thenexus Posted Jul 6th 2009 6:19AM]

They filled but I bet they wont get it, Bet you MS already have this filled too.
Project Natal has this whole scan and use etc thing planned And you can not see MS not having this filled already considering they been working on Natal for a while.
They also bought out a company working on such a device too so they could snap up what ever assets/patents/rights that project had as well.
If it is Sony trying to stop Natal from being able to do stuff I doubt they will get it and if they are trying to do this I am sure MS will have something to say about it too.

[coolblue2000 Posted Jul 6th 2009 4:57AM]

@Ariel

Eyetoy recognised contrast not physical objects.

Natal however does recognise objects and even body parts.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 6th 2009 6:50AM]

Cause standing in front of my tv with a giant horseshoe magnet is how I want to spend my evenings.

[dayneoram Posted Jul 6th 2009 7:42AM]

HAHA!!! that's one of engadget's funniest titles yet!!!!!!!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 6th 2009 8:33AM]

Am I, am I supposed to conduct with my penis?

[enbadesign Posted Jul 6th 2009 2:36PM]

SO far Natal does a decent job of tracking jumping jack motions to hit virtual balls, that's it. All of the other stuff hasn't even been coded or demonstrated. It was just featured in a "Product Vision" movie that was 100% fake. The object recognition used in the Natal video was just to place your object in the game, not to use it to control the game.

Also it takes around a year for a patent to be published after it is first applied for. The Sony stuff has been in the works for a very long time, since the early PS2 days.

Microsoft bought out a motion tracking camera company for thier patents and threw together a tech demo for E3. If anyone threw somethign together at the last minute for a good press release it was Microsoft.