The
concept of Virtual Reality has been around for some time now. Only recently has it been widely viewed by the public with technologies such as
the Oculus Rift. There have been many bumps on the way to Virtual Reality's current state.
Here are some of the milestones that have happened along the way:
Sensorama:
The Sensorama first showed up on the market for public use in 1957. It was one of the first technologies to immerse the user into a virtual experience. The Sensorama was a 3D motorcycle simulator that let the user experience smells, wind, and sound. Picture right:
Project Headsight:
This project was initiated in 1961 by Philco corporation. It was one of the first uses of a HMD in Virtual Reality. HMD stands for head mounted display, and is essentially any helmet or goggles incorporated with a video screen and also tracks motion to simulate a full 3D immersion. It was later used to help train within the military.
Sword of Damocles:
The Sword of Damocles is widely considered as the first Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality system. It was created by Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull and used an HMD and a computer program to simulate a virtual world. The only downside is that the unit was so heavy that one man could not easily hold it up demonstrated by the picture below. Even though it is considered very primitive according to today's standards it was a huge breakthrough at the time.
Here are some of the milestones that have happened along the way:
Sensorama:
The Sensorama first showed up on the market for public use in 1957. It was one of the first technologies to immerse the user into a virtual experience. The Sensorama was a 3D motorcycle simulator that let the user experience smells, wind, and sound. Picture right:
Project Headsight:
This project was initiated in 1961 by Philco corporation. It was one of the first uses of a HMD in Virtual Reality. HMD stands for head mounted display, and is essentially any helmet or goggles incorporated with a video screen and also tracks motion to simulate a full 3D immersion. It was later used to help train within the military.
Sword of Damocles:
The Sword of Damocles is widely considered as the first Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality system. It was created by Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull and used an HMD and a computer program to simulate a virtual world. The only downside is that the unit was so heavy that one man could not easily hold it up demonstrated by the picture below. Even though it is considered very primitive according to today's standards it was a huge breakthrough at the time.
Sega VR:
The Sega VR was first introduced as a gaming console in 1991. It had many development difficulties and was always just a prototype. While in development it only had about four games. The reason for this was because the beta testers all showed severe headaches and sickness from prolonged use of the product. The last sight of it was in 1993 at the Summer CES conference. Picture right:
The Sega VR was first introduced as a gaming console in 1991. It had many development difficulties and was always just a prototype. While in development it only had about four games. The reason for this was because the beta testers all showed severe headaches and sickness from prolonged use of the product. The last sight of it was in 1993 at the Summer CES conference. Picture right:
Virtual Boy:
Nintendo's Virtual Boy came on the market in 1995 to little success. It used a monochromatic visor which displayed 3D in only black and red. Much like the Sega VR prolonged used caused health complications such as headaches, nausea, and vision impairment. It was even speculated that after much prolonged use users had issues seeing the color red. Picture right:
Nintendo's Virtual Boy came on the market in 1995 to little success. It used a monochromatic visor which displayed 3D in only black and red. Much like the Sega VR prolonged used caused health complications such as headaches, nausea, and vision impairment. It was even speculated that after much prolonged use users had issues seeing the color red. Picture right: