Menu navigation in a head-mounted display

An apparatus for navigation in virtual environments, the apparatus comprising:

• memory that stores information regarding a plurality of virtual elements, wherein each of the virtual elements is associated with a functionality;
• one or more sensors that track data indicative of one or more movements associated with a user;
• and
• a processor that executes instructions stored in memory, wherein the processor executes the instructions to:
• generating a virtual environment that corresponds to a three-dimensional space associated with a field of view of the user, wherein the virtual environment includes one or more of the virtual elements;
• determine that the tracking data is indicative of one or more movements associated with the user within the virtual environment via one or more sensors;
• identify a location of a focal point in the virtual environment, wherein the focal point corresponds to a line-of-sight from an eye of the user, wherein the location of the focal point overlaps an identified one of the virtual elements;
• identify that the tracked data is translatable into a selection of the identified virtual element when an operational range extending from the location of the focal point overlaps an operational range extending from the identified virtual element;
• and
• implement a function corresponding to the identified virtual element based on the selection and the location of focal point overlapping of the identified virtual element.

A non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program executable by a processor to perform a method for navigation in virtual environments, the method comprising:

• storing information in memory regarding a plurality of virtual elements, wherein each of the virtual elements is associated with a functionality;
• generating a virtual environment that corresponds to a three-dimensional space associated with a field of view of a user, wherein the virtual environment includes one or more of the virtual elements;
• tracking data indicative of one or more movements associated with the user within the virtual environment via one or more sensors;
• identifying a location of a focal point in the virtual environment, wherein the focal point corresponds to a line-of-sight from an eye of the user, wherein the location of the focal point overlaps an identified one of the virtual elements;
• identifying that the tracked data is translatable into a selection of the identified virtual element when an operational range extending from the location of the focal point overlaps an operational range extending from the identified virtual element;
• and
• implementing a function corresponding to the identified virtual element based on the selection of the identified virtual element.