Head tracking for video communications in a virtual environment

A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores executable program instructions that when executed by one or more computing devices configure the one or more computing devices to perform operations comprising:

• providing a video conference session in a virtual environment;
• providing a digital representation of a video conference participant in the virtual environment and capturing a left view of the virtual environment to the left of the digital representation and a right view of the virtual environment to the right of the digital representation;
• providing the captured left view for display on a left portion of one or more displays and the captured right view for display on a right portion of the one or more displays;
• receiving a video stream of the video conference participant;
• and
• tracking, in the video stream, head movement of the video conference participant to generate head movement information comprising:
• detecting, within the video stream, head movement that corresponds with the video conference participant performing an act of viewing past a known physical boundary;
• generating head movement information that includes an indication of the act of viewing past the known physical boundary;
• and
• triggering an action for updating the digital representation based on the indication.

A system comprising one or more processors configured to perform operations of:

• providing a video conference session in a virtual environment;
• providing a digital representation of a video conference participant m the virtual environment and capturing a left view of the virtual environment to the left of the digital representation and a right view of the virtual environment to the right of the digital representation;
• providing the captured left view for display on a left portion of one or more displays and the captured right view for display on a right portion of the one or more displays;
• receiving a video stream of the video conference participant;
• and
• tracking, in the video stream, head movement of the video conference participant to generate head movement information comprising:
• detecting, within the video stream, head movement that corresponds with the video conference participant performing an act of viewing past a known physical boundary;
• generating head movement information that includes an indication of the act of viewing past the known physical boundary;
• and
• triggering an action for updating the digital representation based on the indication.