Virtual reality

1860

Other elements of virtual reality appeared as early as the 1860s.

1938

The term "virtual" has been used in the computer sense of "not physically existing but made to appear by software" since 1959. In 1938, French avant-garde playwright Antonin Artaud described the illusory nature of characters and objects in the theatre as "la réalité virtuelle" in a collection of essays, Le Théâtre et son double.

1950

The first references to the more modern concept of virtual reality came from science fiction. === 20th century === Morton Heilig wrote in the 1950s of an "Experience Theatre" that could encompass all the senses in an effective manner, thus drawing the viewer into the onscreen activity.

1958

The English translation of this book, published in 1958 as The Theater and its Double, is the earliest published use of the term "virtual reality".

1959

The term "virtual" has been used in the computer sense of "not physically existing but made to appear by software" since 1959. In 1938, French avant-garde playwright Antonin Artaud described the illusory nature of characters and objects in the theatre as "la réalité virtuelle" in a collection of essays, Le Théâtre et son double.

1960

Heilig also developed what he referred to as the "Telesphere Mask" (patented in 1960).

1962

He built a prototype of his vision dubbed the Sensorama in 1962, along with five short films to be displayed in it while engaging multiple senses (sight, sound, smell, and touch).

1968

moving three dimensional images which may be in colour, with 100% peripheral vision, binaural sound, scents and air breezes." In 1968, Ivan Sutherland, with the help of his students including Bob Sproull, created what was widely considered to be the first head-mounted display system for use in immersive simulation applications.

1970

The term "artificial reality", coined by Myron Krueger, has been in use since the 1970s.

The formidable appearance of the device inspired its name, The Sword of Damocles. ==== 1970–1990 ==== The virtual reality industry mainly provided VR devices for medical, flight simulation, automobile industry design, and military training purposes from 1970 to 1990. David Em became the first artist to produce navigable virtual worlds at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 1977 to 1984.

As noted, the future architects and engineers benefit greatly by being able to form understandings between spatial relationships and providing solutions based on real-world future applications. The first fine art virtual world was created in the 1970s.

1977

The formidable appearance of the device inspired its name, The Sword of Damocles. ==== 1970–1990 ==== The virtual reality industry mainly provided VR devices for medical, flight simulation, automobile industry design, and military training purposes from 1970 to 1990. David Em became the first artist to produce navigable virtual worlds at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 1977 to 1984.

1978

The Aspen Movie Map, a crude virtual tour in which users could wander the streets of Aspen in one of the three modes (summer, winter, and polygons), was created at MIT in 1978. In 1979, Eric Howlett developed the Large Expanse, Extra Perspective (LEEP) optical system.

1979

The Aspen Movie Map, a crude virtual tour in which users could wander the streets of Aspen in one of the three modes (summer, winter, and polygons), was created at MIT in 1978. In 1979, Eric Howlett developed the Large Expanse, Extra Perspective (LEEP) optical system.

1980

The LEEP system provides the basis for most of the modern virtual reality headsets. By the 1980s, the term "virtual reality" was popularized by Jaron Lanier, one of the modern pioneers of the field.

1982

founded a research lab for virtual reality in 1982, but the lab was closed after two years due to the Atari Shock (video game crash of 1983).

1983

founded a research lab for virtual reality in 1982, but the lab was closed after two years due to the Atari Shock (video game crash of 1983).

1984

The formidable appearance of the device inspired its name, The Sword of Damocles. ==== 1970–1990 ==== The virtual reality industry mainly provided VR devices for medical, flight simulation, automobile industry design, and military training purposes from 1970 to 1990. David Em became the first artist to produce navigable virtual worlds at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 1977 to 1984.

1985

The original LEEP system was redesigned for NASA's Ames Research Center in 1985 for their first virtual reality installation, the VIEW (Virtual Interactive Environment Workstation) by Scott Fisher.

Lanier had founded the company VPL Research in 1985.

1988

However, its hired employees, such as Tom Zimmerman, Scott Fisher, Jaron Lanier, Michael Naimark, and Brenda Laurel, kept their research and development on VR-related technologies. In 1988, the Cyberspace Project at Autodesk was the first to implement VR on a low-cost personal computer .

1990

The formidable appearance of the device inspired its name, The Sword of Damocles. ==== 1970–1990 ==== The virtual reality industry mainly provided VR devices for medical, flight simulation, automobile industry design, and military training purposes from 1970 to 1990. David Em became the first artist to produce navigable virtual worlds at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) from 1977 to 1984.

The project leader Eric Gullichsen left in 1990 to found Sense8 Corporation and develop the WorldToolKit virtual reality SDK, which offered the first real time graphics with Texture mapping on a PC, and was widely used throughout industry and academia. ==== 1990–2000 ==== The 1990s saw the first widespread commercial releases of consumer headsets.

Consumer virtual reality headsets were first released by video game companies in the early-mid 1990s.

Virtual reality allows exposure therapy to take place in a safe environment. In medicine, simulated VR surgical environments were first developed in the 1990s.

As the technology developed, more artistic programs were produced throughout the 1990s, including feature films.

The first uses of VR in museum settings began in the 1990s, seeing a significant increase in the mid-2010s.

1991

In 1992, for instance, Computer Gaming World predicted "affordable VR by 1994". In 1991, Sega announced the Sega VR headset for arcade games and the Mega Drive console.

1992

In 1992, for instance, Computer Gaming World predicted "affordable VR by 1994". In 1991, Sega announced the Sega VR headset for arcade games and the Mega Drive console.

Antonio Medina, a MIT graduate and NASA scientist, designed a virtual reality system to "drive" Mars rovers from Earth in apparent real time despite the substantial delay of Mars-Earth-Mars signals. In 1992, Nicole Stenger created Angels, the first real-time interactive immersive movie where the interaction was facilitated with a dataglove and high-resolution goggles.

1994

In 1992, for instance, Computer Gaming World predicted "affordable VR by 1994". In 1991, Sega announced the Sega VR headset for arcade games and the Mega Drive console.

The system enabled the overlay of physically real 3D virtual objects registered with a user's direct view of the real world, producing the first true augmented reality experience enabling sight, sound, and touch. By 1994, Sega released the Sega VR-1 motion simulator arcade attraction, in SegaWorld amusement arcades.

According to Grand View Research, the global VR market will grow to 62.1 billion dollars in 2027. ==Technology== ===Software=== The Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML), first introduced in 1994, was intended for the development of "virtual worlds" without dependency on headsets.

1995

Apple released QuickTime VR, which, despite using the term "VR", was unable to represent virtual reality, and instead displayed 360-degree interactive panoramas. Nintendo's Virtual Boy console was released in 1995.

1997

The Web3D consortium was subsequently founded in 1997 for the development of industry standards for web-based 3D graphics.

1999

Forte released the VFX1, a PC-powered virtual reality headset that same year. In 1999, entrepreneur Philip Rosedale formed Linden Lab with an initial focus on the development of VR hardware.

2000

The concept was later adapted into the personal computer-based, 3D virtual world program Second Life. === 21st century === The 2000s were a period of relative public and investment indifference to commercially available VR technologies. In 2001, SAS Cube (SAS3) became the first PC-based cubic room, developed by Z-A Production (Maurice Benayoun, David Nahon), Barco, and Clarté.

Virtual reality has been used in physical rehabilitation since the 2000s.

2001

The concept was later adapted into the personal computer-based, 3D virtual world program Second Life. === 21st century === The 2000s were a period of relative public and investment indifference to commercially available VR technologies. In 2001, SAS Cube (SAS3) became the first PC-based cubic room, developed by Z-A Production (Maurice Benayoun, David Nahon), Barco, and Clarté.

2007

In 2007, Google introduced Street View, a service that shows panoramic views of an increasing number of worldwide positions such as roads, indoor buildings and rural areas.

2010

It also features a stereoscopic 3D mode, introduced in 2010. ====2010–present==== In 2010, Palmer Luckey designed the first prototype of the Oculus Rift.

Beginning in the 2010s, next-generation commercial tethered headsets were released by Oculus (Rift), HTC (Vive) and Sony (PlayStation VR), setting off a new wave of application development.

2012

In 2012, the Rift is presented for the first time at the E3 video game trade show by Carmack.

This purchase occurred after the first development kits ordered through Oculus' 2012 Kickstarter had shipped in 2013 but before the shipping of their second development kits in 2014.

2013

This purchase occurred after the first development kits ordered through Oculus' 2012 Kickstarter had shipped in 2013 but before the shipping of their second development kits in 2014.

ZeniMax, Carmack's former employer, sued Oculus and Facebook for taking company secrets to Facebook; the verdict was in favour of ZeniMax, settled out of court later. In 2013, Valve discovered and freely shared the breakthrough of low-persistence displays which make lag-free and smear-free display of VR content possible.

2014

In 2014, Facebook purchased Oculus VR for what at the time was stated as $2 billion but later revealed that the more accurate figure was $3 billion.

This purchase occurred after the first development kits ordered through Oculus' 2012 Kickstarter had shipped in 2013 but before the shipping of their second development kits in 2014.

In early 2014, Valve showed off their SteamSight prototype, the precursor to both consumer headsets released in 2016.

The set included tracking technology called Lighthouse, which utilized wall-mounted "base stations" for positional tracking using infrared light. In 2014, Sony announced Project Morpheus (its code name for the PlayStation VR), a virtual reality headset for the PlayStation 4 video game console.

2015

HTC and Valve announced the virtual reality headset HTC Vive and controllers in 2015.

In 2015, Google announced Cardboard, a do-it-yourself stereoscopic viewer: the user places their smartphone in the cardboard holder, which they wear on their head.

Also in 2015, Razer unveiled its open source project OSVR. By 2016, there were at least 230 companies developing VR-related products.

Since 2015, roller coasters and theme parks have incorporated virtual reality to match visual effects with haptic feedback. In social sciences and psychology, virtual reality offers a cost-effective tool to study and replicate interactions in a controlled environment.

2016

In early 2014, Valve showed off their SteamSight prototype, the precursor to both consumer headsets released in 2016.

Also in 2015, Razer unveiled its open source project OSVR. By 2016, there were at least 230 companies developing VR-related products.

Visually, displays were still of a low-enough resolution and frame rate that images were still identifiable as virtual. In 2016, HTC shipped its first units of the HTC Vive SteamVR headset.

In the meantime, children are becoming increasingly aware of VR, with the number in the USA having never heard of it dropping by half from Autumn 2016 (40%) to Spring 2017 (19%). Valeriy Kondruk, CEO of VR travel platform Ascape, says the app downloads in March 2020 increased by 60% compared to December 2019 and doubled in comparison with January 2020.

According to Kondruk, normally, the busiest month for VR companies is December, which is associated with winter holidays and people spending more time at home. In early 2016, virtual reality headsets became commercially available with offers from, for example, Facebook (Oculus), HTC and Valve (Vive) Microsoft (HoloLens), and Sony (Morpheus).

2017

A patent filed by Sony in 2017 showed they were developing a similar location tracking technology to the Vive for PlayStation VR, with the potential for the development of a wireless headset. In 2019, Oculus released the Oculus Rift S and a standalone headset, the Oculus Quest.

In the meantime, children are becoming increasingly aware of VR, with the number in the USA having never heard of it dropping by half from Autumn 2016 (40%) to Spring 2017 (19%). Valeriy Kondruk, CEO of VR travel platform Ascape, says the app downloads in March 2020 increased by 60% compared to December 2019 and doubled in comparison with January 2020.

2018

A 2018 review on the effectiveness of mirror therapy by virtual reality and robotics for any type of pathology concluded in a similar way.

2019

A patent filed by Sony in 2017 showed they were developing a similar location tracking technology to the Vive for PlayStation VR, with the potential for the development of a wireless headset. In 2019, Oculus released the Oculus Rift S and a standalone headset, the Oculus Quest.

These headsets utilized inside-out tracking compared to external outside-in tracking seen in previous generations of headsets. Later in 2019, Valve released the Valve Index.

In the meantime, children are becoming increasingly aware of VR, with the number in the USA having never heard of it dropping by half from Autumn 2016 (40%) to Spring 2017 (19%). Valeriy Kondruk, CEO of VR travel platform Ascape, says the app downloads in March 2020 increased by 60% compared to December 2019 and doubled in comparison with January 2020.

2020

Notable features include a 130° field of view, off-ear headphones for immersion and comfort, open-handed controllers which allow for individual finger tracking, front facing cameras, and a front expansion slot meant for extensibility. In 2020, Oculus released the Oculus Quest 2.

This addresses a key risk area in rotorcraft operations, where statistics show that around 20% of accidents occur during training flights. ==== Future forecast==== With the COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, VR is experiencing an enormous rise.

In the meantime, children are becoming increasingly aware of VR, with the number in the USA having never heard of it dropping by half from Autumn 2016 (40%) to Spring 2017 (19%). Valeriy Kondruk, CEO of VR travel platform Ascape, says the app downloads in March 2020 increased by 60% compared to December 2019 and doubled in comparison with January 2020.

2021

Facebook now requires user to log in with a Facebook account in order to use the new headset. In 2021, EASA approves the first Virtual Reality (VR) based Flight Simulation Training Device.




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Page generated on 2021-08-05