New 'Realistic' Xbox 360 Avatars to Use Your Healthcare Data
Your health care data to be used via third-parties
Just when you thought that Microsoft couldn't possibly make your Xbox 360 NXE avatar any more realistic, it goes and files for a patent to do exactly that. This time, however, the company wants to get your data via, for example, "third party health data collection repository, a healthcare smart card"
The patent, which you can see here, reads:
"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.) "
Strangely, however, it was initially filed on June 12, 2008 but pops up with a more recent December 17th 2009 date.
Via 1Up.
The patent, which you can see here, reads:
"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.) "
Strangely, however, it was initially filed on June 12, 2008 but pops up with a more recent December 17th 2009 date.
Via 1Up.
Companies:
Microsoft
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Comments
DrkStr 21 Dec 2009 18:57
1/3
Should we expect a lot of Americans with fat avatars then?
Ergo 21 Dec 2009 19:09
2/3
@DrkStr Considering that those living in the UK and most other, first world, countries now have similar rates of obesity, there will be plenty of fat to go 'round. (In other words: your 'joke' isn't terribly funny when it doesn't actually reflect the current state of reality.)
Old Codger 22 Dec 2009 09:17
3/3
@Ergo
It's funny because it's true.
It's funny because it's true.