History Of Virtual Reality Virtual Reality Society. Virtual reality has beginnings that preceded the time that the concept was coined and formalised. In this detailed history of virtual reality we look at how technology has evolved and how key pioneers have paved the path for virtual reality as we know it today. Early attempts at virtual reality. Panoramic paintings. If we focus more strictly on the scope of virtual reality as a means of creating the illusion that we are present somewhere we are not, then the earliest attempt at virtual reality is surely the 3. These paintings were intended to fill the viewers entire field of vision, making them feel present at some historical event or scene. Battle of Borodino, 1. Virtual Reality Set News Room' title='Virtual Reality Set News Room' />Stereoscopic photos viewers. Wwe Games Setup For Pc on this page. In 1. 83. 8 Charles Wheatstones research demonstrated that the brain processes the different two dimensional images from each eye into a single object of three dimensions. Viewing two side by side stereoscopic images or photos through a stereoscope gave the user a sense of depth and immersion. The later development of the popular View Master stereoscope patented 1. The design principles of the Stereoscope is used today for the popular Google Cardboard and low budget VR head mounted displays for mobile phones. The stereoscope Charles Wheatstone1. The lenticular stereoscope David Brewster1. Virtual reality has beginnings that preceded the time that the concept was coined and formalised. In this detailed history of virtual reality we look at how. The View Master William GruberOver time mankind has been slowly but surely creating ever richer ways to stimulate our senses. Things really began to take off in the 2. Link Trainer The First Flight Simulator. In 1. 92. 9 Edward Link created the Link trainer patented 1. Bottom Line The HTC Vive is a comprehensive PCtethered virtual reality system that supports both motion controls and wholeroom VR. Read Review. Virtual Reality Challenges and Concerns Virtual reality challenges include the development of better tracking systems. Learn about virtual reality challenges and. Experience an augmented reality where the universe expands and fantasy worlds spring to life. With virtual reality and mixed reality systems from Microsoft Store. RT delivers latest news on current events from around the world including special reports, viral news and exclusive videos. See episodes of your favorite MTV Shows. Watch the latest Music Videos from your favorite music artists. Get uptodate Celebrity and Music News. Virtual Reality hardware and headset reviews, specs, comparisons, editors ratings, and deals to help you find the right VR system from PCMag. Virtual Reality Set News Room' title='Virtual Reality Set News Room' />It was controlled by motors that linked to the rudder and steering column to modify the pitch and roll. A small motor driven device mimicked turbulence and disturbances. Such was the need for safer ways to train pilots that the US military bought six of these devices for 3. In 2. 01. 5 money this was just shy of 5. During World War II over 1. Link Trainers were used by over 5. Left Edward Link, Right The Link Trainer. Science fiction story predicted VRIn the 1. Stanley G. Weinbaum Pygmalions Spectacles contains the idea of a pair of goggles that let the wearer experience a fictional world through holographics, smell, taste and touch. In hindsight the experience Weinbaum describes for those wearing the goggles are uncannily like the modern and emerging experience of virtual reality, making him a true visionary of the field. Image source sffaudio. Morton Heiligs Sensorama. In the mid 1. 95. Morton Heilig developed the Sensorama patented 1. It featured stereo speakers, a stereoscopic 3. D display, fans, smell generators and a vibrating chair. The Sensorama was intended to fully immerse the individual in the film. He also created six short films for his invention all of which he shot, produced and edited himself. The Sensorama films were titled, Motorcycle, Belly Dancer, Dune Buggy, helicopter, A date with Sabina and Im a coca cola bottleImage source mortonheilig. The video below is an interview with Morton about the Sensorama. The first VR Head Mounted Display. Morton Heiligs next invention was the Telesphere Mask patented 1. HMD, albeit for the non interactive film medium without any motion tracking. The headset provided stereoscopic 3. D and wide vision with stereo sound. Headsight First motion tracking HMDIn 1. Philco Corporation engineers Comeau Bryan developed the first precursor to the HMD as we know it today the Headsight. It incorporated a video screen for each eye and a magnetic motion tracking system, which was linked to a closed circuit camera. The Headsight was not actually developed for virtual reality applications the term didnt exist then, but to allow for immersive remote viewing of dangerous situations by the military. Head movements would move a remote camera, allowing the user to naturally look around the environment. Headsight was the first step in the evolution of the VR head mounted display but it lacked the integration of computer and image generation. The Ultimate display by Ivan Sutherland. Ivan Sutherland described the Ultimate Display concept that could simulate reality to the point where one could not tell the difference from actual reality. His concept included A virtual world viewed through a HMD and appeared realistic through augmented 3. D sound and tactile feedback. Computer hardware to create the virtual word and maintain it in real time. Autoit All Files In Dir. The ability users to interact with objects in the virtual world in a realistic wayThe ultimate display would, of course, be a room within which the computer can control the existence of matter. A chair displayed in such a room would be good enough to sit in. Handcuffs displayed in such a room would be confining, and a bullet displayed in such a room would be fatal. With appropriate programming such a display could literally be the Wonderland into which Alice walked. Ivan Sutherland. This paper would become a core blueprint for the concepts that encompass virtual reality today. Sword of Damocles. In 1. 96. 8 Ivan Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull created the first VR AR head mounted display Sword of Damocles that was connected to a computer and not a camera. It was a large and scary looking contraption that was too heavy for any user to comfortably wear and was suspended from the ceiling hence its name. The user would also need to be strapped into the device. The computer generated graphics were very primitive wireframe rooms and objects. Artificial Reality. In 1. 96. 9 Myron Kruegere a virtual reality computer artist developed a series of experiences which he termed artificial reality in which he developed computer generated environments that responded to the people in it. The projects named GLOWFLOW, METAPLAY, and PSYCHIC SPACE were progressions in his research which ultimately let to the development of VIDEOPLACE technology. This technology enabled people to communicate with each other in a responsive computer generated environment despite being miles apart. Virtual reality the name was born. Even after all of this development in virtual reality, there still wasnt an all encompassing term to describe the field. This all changed in 1. Jaron Lanier, founder of the visual programming lab VPL, coined or according to some popularised the term virtual reality. The research area now had a name. Through his company VPL research Jaron developed a range of virtual reality gear including the Dataglove along with Tom Zimmerman and the Eye. Phone head mounted display. They were the first company to sell Virtual Reality goggles Eye. Phone 1 9. 40. 0 Eye. Phone HRX 4. 9,0. A major development in the area of virtual reality haptics. Virtuality Group Arcade Machines. Discovery Channel Affiliate Program here. We began to see virtual reality devices to which the public had access, although household ownership of cutting edge virtual reality was still far out of reach. The Virtuality Group launched a range of arcade games and machines. Players would wear a set of VR goggles and play on gaming machines with realtime less than 5. D visuals. Some units were also networked together for a multi player gaming experience. The Lawnmower Man. The Lawnmower Man movie introduced the concept of virtual reality to a wider audience. It was in part based on the founder of Virtual Reality Jaron Lanier and his early laboratory days. Jaron was played by Pierce Brosnan, a scientist who used virtual reality therapy on a mentally disabled patient. Virtual Reality Movies Get Ready for the VR Revolution. Updated March 4, 2. ET. WHETHER YOURE AN avid cinephile or you havent been to a movie theater since enduring Attack of the Clones, one thing is certain Over the next few years, virtual reality will completely reboot your relationship to the moving image. Thats because the once geeks only technology, known as VR for short, is becoming shockingly good at making you feel as though youre in the midst of the actioncycling through the air with E. T. or spinning atop an alp with an excitable Fraulein Mariarather than observing from afar. We hear your objections Theres absolutely no way Im going to wear one of those dorky looking headsets. I wont even be caught dead in 3 D glasses. Even if you acknowledge that the motion tracking technology VR systems employ is pretty cool, allowing users to look freely around a 3. Behind the scenes, however, VR is rewriting the script for Hollywood. VR works are already popping up at prominent film festivals like Sundance and next months Tribeca Film Festival where screenings take place in small rooms rather than large theaters. A list directors such as Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg are working on top secret VR projects. Even Airplane director Jerry Zucker, not usually associated with the cutting edge, is developing an immersive comedy. Viewing VR is starkly different than watching a traditional film With conventional movies, the director dictates your focus of attention. An aerial view cuts to a medium shot cuts to a close upgiving you no say in what you see. But virtual reality puts you in charge. The headset allows you to observe any aspect of a setting and, in some cases, even affect the way the story unfolds depending on where you look. Take the famously ominous scene from North by Northwest, in which a crop duster chases Cary Grant. Instead of insisting you passively watch Grant try to outrun the low flying aircraft, as Alfred Hitchcocks classic does, a VR version might have you sprinting alongside him, with the freedom to glance back at the oncoming plane or farther afield at the cars zooming by, including that fast approaching tanker truck. For decades, weve been watching as observers in a dark theater, said Robert Stromberg, the director of Walt Disneys hit Maleficent and an executive at Virtual Reality Co. Los Angeles. Now, were taking on the role of observer inside the movies world. The new medium poses creative challenges for directors and viewers alike. For example, if you can look anywhere your short attention span allows, how do filmmakers signify where the action is One solution is to use visual cues A character might point behind you, for example, prompting you to turn toward an approaching villain. But usually, said Mr. Stromberg, its like a dinner party You end up turning toward whoevers talking. Some classic film techniques, however, simply dont translate easily. The idea of a close up is not something I think of in VR, Mr. Stromberg said. You actually feel like youre intruding. Despite their futuristic slant, many VR projects can be viewed for free using relatively inexpensive equipment in the comfort of your home. With the simplest headsets, some made of cardboard, you just pop your smartphone into them then download a VR app that delivers the video. Three popular headsets are shown here, with many more slated to be released soon. Other VR experiences require more rarefied equipment, like the 6. Oculus Rift is expected to begin shipping later this month, which has high resolution screens and connects to a computer instead of a smartphone. Meanwhile, special movie theater seats that jostle and jolt you in sync with whats happening in the virtual environment can heighten works like The Martian VR Experience, adapted by Mr. Stromberg from the Matt Damon blockbuster about an abandoned astronaut. Hit a boulder while driving a space rover, for example, and the seat jerks back like a car hitting the curb. Every genre, it seems, is fair game for an immersive upgrade. Current and upcoming projects include Pixar like animated works and sharp eyed political documentaries. At this point, VR experiences are much shorter than feature length films most last fewer than 1. VR for extended periods can cause nausea. This is a hazard to which we can attest, having binge watched several VR projects back to back in the course of research. These are early days, and there are kinks to be worked out, including the potentially off putting aspects of VRs isolating nature. Many insiders predict that well see widespread adoption 1. Its the first inning, said Anthony Batt, co founder of Wevr, a virtual reality company based in Venice, Calif. We cant call this game at all. We traveled from VR studio to VR studio around Los Angeles, immersing ourselves in all the industry has to offer. Here are a few VR experiences worth seeking out now to get a sense of what the future of storytelling might look like. GoneHollywood Cred With a two hour running time divided into 1. Clue meets Taken thriller plays like a full fledged feature film. The Pitch Why is that shady looking dude watching over a playgroundAnd why did that mother need help with her stroller right before a young girl went missing In this narrative, youre something of a detective, looking for clues that appear throughout. Every time a small hovering light appears, you can tap the side of your VR headset to pause the narrative and zoom in and view footage of a telling clueor complete red herring. Available on Samsung VR, wevr. Hard World for Small ThingsHollywood Cred This brief drama is making the film festival rounds. The Pitch Short but intense, Hard World explores race relations to harrowing effect. The story opens in the present day, in the back seat of a convertible, where three African American friends are hanging out. After they pull up to a bodega, one heads inside to buy food. A few seconds later, two police officers appear and ask the driver to turn his music downand the tension escalates from there. Available on all systems, wevr. WavesHollywood Cred A futuristic music video boasting eye popping visual effects. The Pitch When Reggie Wattsthe unorthodox beatboxing comedianmakes a 1. The vocalist often layers samples of his voice to create a sonic smorgasbord of beats and harmonies. That music is the soundtrack to Waves, which begins here on earth but soon transports viewers to various dimensions and galaxies, with Mr. Watts singing and philosophizing along the way. Available on all systems wevr. Collisions Hollywood Cred This visceral documentary has been screened at the Sundance Film Festival and the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The Pitch In about 1. Collisions tells the sweeping, true story of Nyarri Nyarri Morgan, an indigenous elder living in Australia who witnessed the countrys test of the atomic bomb in the 1. Mr. Morgans words are interspliced with newly filmed footage of him watching a video of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer as well as a graphic simulation of the bomb killing nearby kangaroos and devastating the Australian outback. Available on all systems jauntvr. Paranormal ActivityHollywood Cred A sequel of sorts to the Paranormal Activity horror films. The Pitch Sure, this piece is set in a typical haunted house with creaky floorboards and an apparent disregard for electricity.