Real-world awareness for virtual reality

This invention describes a system for making people aware of the real world while they are immersed in virtual reality. It works by using the VR device's sensors, like cameras and microphones, to listen and look for things happening outside the virtual world. When it detects something, like a doorbell ringing or someone speaking, it figures out how important that event is and then decides the best way to notify the user within their VR experience, taking into account what they are currently doing in VR. The claims specifically mention using audio or video signals for detection and a stored mapping to determine the notification type.