Introduction
This article will study the birth of augmented reality and virtual reality and then discuss in detail the Sensorma and the Sword of Damocles. In fact, before studying birth, let's first discuss Augmented and virtual reality.
Augmented Reality: Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that enables users to overlay information, movies, and images on top of reality using smart devices. As a result, this technology enhances the actual world by providing more data. The IKEA Place app, L'Oréal Makeup app, Pokémon Go, and many other AR apps are among the most popular.
Virtual Reality: Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated virtual world where a person is immersed in a digital environment. Virtual reality discussions, Volvo test drive reality, The North Face hiking experience in Yosemite National Park, and a plethora of VR games are just a few examples.
Birth of Virtual Reality
Early Attempts at Virtual Reality
Panoramic Painting
If we narrow the scope of virtual reality to generating the illusion that we are present somewhere we are not, the oldest effort at virtual reality is almost certainly the nineteenth-century 360-degree murals (or panorama paintings). These paintings were created to take up the full field of vision of the viewer, making them feel as if they were present at a historical event or scenario.
1838 - Stereoscopic Photos and viewers
Charles Wheatstone's research in 1838 proved that the brain combines the two-dimensional images from each eye into a single three-dimensional object. Using a stereoscope to view two side-by-side stereoscopic images or photos provided the user with a sensation of depth and immersion. The iconic View-Master stereoscope (patented 1939) was later developed for "virtual tourism." The Stereoscope's design concepts are now utilized in the popular Google Cardboard and low-cost VR helmet-mounted displays for mobile phones.
1929- Link Trainer The first Flight Stimulator
Edward Link invented the "Link trainer" (patented 1931), arguably the first commercially available electromechanical flight simulator. Motors connected to the rudder and steering column were used to change the pitch and roll. Turbulence and disturbances were simulated using a small motor-driven device. The US military purchased six of these devices for $3500 because they desperately needed safer ways to train pilots. In 2015, this was barely under $50,000. During WWII, over 500,000 pilots used over 10,000 "blue box" Link Trainers for basic training and skill improvement.
The 1950s- Morton Heilig's Sensorama
Morton Heilig, a cinematographer, created the Sensorama (patented 1962), an arcade-style theatre cabinet that stimulated all of the senses, not just sight and sound, in the mid-1950s. The amenities included stereo speakers, a stereoscopic 3D display, fans, fragrance generators, and a vibrating chair. The Sensorama was designed to completely immerse the viewer in the movie. He also made six short films for his innovation, all of which he shot, produced, and edited himself. Motorcycle, Belly Dancer, Dune Buggy, Helicopter, A Date with Sabina, and I'm a Coca-Cola Bottle were the titles of the Sensorama flicks.
Source: Wiki
1960 – The first VR Head Mounted Display
The Telesphere Mask (patented 1960) was Morton Heilig's next innovation, and it was the first head-mounted display (HMD), however, it was for a non-interactive film medium with no motion tracking. The headgear combined stereo sound with stereoscopic 3D and broad vision.
1961 Headsight – First motion tracking HMD
Two Philco Corporation engineers (Comeau & Bryan) created the Headsight, the earliest ancestor to the HMD as we know it today, in 1961. It had a TV screen for each eye and a magnetic motion tracking device connected to a closed-circuit camera. The Headsight was designed for immersive remote observation of dangerous circumstances by the military, not for virtual reality applications (the phrase didn't exist at the time). A remote camera would follow the user's head motions, allowing them to gaze around organically. Headsight was the first step toward a virtual reality helmet-mounted display, but it lacked computer and picture creation integration.
1966 – Furness' Flight Sim
Thomas Furness, a military engineer, is credited with kicking off the creation of contemporary flight simulator technology. His work in Human Interface Technology, which he is sometimes referred to as "the grandfather of VR," continues to inform VR technology today.
1968 – Sword of Damocles
The first VR / AR helmet-mounted display (Sword of Damocles) was invented in 1968 by Ivan Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull, and it was connected to a computer rather than a camera. It was a colossal, terrifying-looking device dangling from the ceiling, too heavy for any person to wear (hence its name) safely. In addition, the person would have to be secured into the apparatus. The computer visuals were made up of extremely basic wireframe rooms and objects.
1969 – Artificial Reality
In 1969, virtual reality computer artist Myron Krueger created a series of "artificial reality" experiences in which he made computer-generated settings that responded to the people in them. GLOW FLOW, METAPLAY, and PSYCHIC SPACE were research efforts that led to the invention of VIDEO PLACE technology. Despite being miles distant, this technology allowed individuals to converse in a dynamic computer-generated world.
1972 – GE Builds a Digital Flight Sim
A "computerized" flight simulator from General Electric features three displays grouped in a 180-degree orientation. The displays encircle the virtual training cockpit, giving learner pilots a complete immersion experience.
1975 – Krueger's VIDEO PLACE
The video place is commonly considered the world's first interactive virtual reality system. It could measure user location using a combination of CG, light projection, cameras, and displays. It was more like an AR projection in current terminology and didn't require any gear.
1977 – The MIT Movie Map
MIT creates the Aspen Movie Map. This device allowed users to take a virtual tour of Aspen, Colorado. It was almost as if it were a forerunner to Google Street View. To provide the idea of traveling around the city, they used footage shot from a moving automobile. This time, there was no HMD in the mix.
1979 – The McDonnel-Douglas HMD
Outside of the lab, the VITAL helmet is most likely the first real example of a VR HMD. Pilots might glance at crude computer-generated graphics using a head tracker.
1982 – Sayre Gloves
Daniel Sandin and Thomas DeFanti designed "Sayre" gloves, finger-tracking gloves for virtual reality. Optical sensors were utilized to detect finger movement in the gloves attached to a computer system. This was a forerunner to the "data gloves" that would become a key component of early VR.
1985 – VPL Research is Founded
VPL Research was founded by VR pioneers Jaron Lanier and Thomas Zimmerman. This is the first virtual reality startup to sell both headsets and gloves. Their DataGlove product gave rise to the phrase "data glove."
1986 – Furness Invents the Super Cockpit
Tom Furness was the Air Force's "super cockpit" project director. It was a training simulator for pilots that combined CG visuals and real-time interactivity. Surprisingly, the Super Cockpit included movement monitoring and airplane control integration.
1987 – Virtual reality the name was born
Even after all this progress in virtual reality, there remained no comprehensive phrase to define the discipline. All of that changed in 1987, when Jaron Lanier, the creator of the visual programming lab (VPL), created (or popularized, depending on whom you ask) the phrase "virtual reality." The study area had been given a name. Jaron produced a variety of virtual reality gear through his firm VPL research, including the Dataglove (together with Tom Zimmerman) and the EyePhone helmet-mounted display. They were the first to market Virtual Reality goggles ($9400 for the EyePhone 1; $49,000 for the EyePhone HRX) and gloves ($9000). A significant advancement in the field of virtual reality haptics.
1991 – Virtuality Group Arcade Machines
We started to see virtual reality equipment that the general public could use while owning cutting-edge virtual reality was still out of reach for most people. The Virtuality Group released several arcade games and equipment. Players would use virtual reality goggles and play on gaming computers with real-time immersive stereoscopic 3D images (less than 50ms latency). Some of the machines were also connected to create a multi-player gaming environment.
1991 – Medina's VR Mars Rover
We're used to seeing live feed from Mars rovers these days. This was still a distant fantasy in 1991, and there were numerous issues to be resolved. Antonio Medina, a NASA engineer, creates a virtual reality system that allows you to control a Mars rover while accounting for the time difference. "Computer Simulated Teleoperation" is the name of the system.
1992 – The Lawnmower Man
The Lawnmower Man was the first film to expose virtual reality to a larger audience. It was inspired by Jaron Lanier, the pioneer of virtual reality, and his early laboratory days. Pierce Brosnan as Jaron, a scientist who employed virtual reality treatment on a mentally ill patient. The film used genuine virtual reality technology from VPL research laboratories, and director Brett Leonard admitted to taking inspiration from firms like VPL.
1993 – SEGA announced new VR glasses
In 1993, Sega revealed the Sega VR headgear for the Sega Genesis platform at the Consumer Electronics Show. Head tracking, stereo sound, and LCD panels in the visor were all included in the wrap-around prototype glasses. Sega planned to sell the game for around $200 at the time, roughly $322 in today's money. Despite having developed four games for this product, technological development issues meant that the gadget would always be in the prototype stage. Sega's game was a colossal flop.
1994 – The Sega VR-1
Sega continues its VR push with the debut of the VR-1, an arcade motion simulator that moves in sync with what's happening onscreen. This is similar to the AS-1; only the VR employs a head-mounted display instead of a normal projection screen.
1995 – Nintendo Virtual Boy
The Nintendo Virtual Boy (also known as the VR-32) was a 3D game device marketed as the world's first portable console capable of displaying real 3D images. It was initially sold in Japan and North America for $180, but it was a financial flop despite price decreases. The absence of color in visuals (games were red and black), a lack of software support, and the difficulty of using the system in a comfortable position were all cited reasons for the console's failure. The following year, they stopped producing and selling it.
1997 – Landmark VR PTSD Treatment
Georgia Tech and Emory University have teamed together to employ virtual reality to treat PTSD in military veterans. Today, this is still an important element of PTSD therapy and study. Controlled exposure to traumatic stimuli is critical in the treatment of PTSD symptoms. Therapists now have unequaled control over what their patients see and feel because of virtual reality technology.
1999 – The Matrix
The Matrix, directed by the Wachowski brothers, was released in theaters in 1999. The film shows characters who live in a completely synthetic environment, many of whom are utterly ignorant that they are not in reality. Although several prior films, such as Tron in 1982 and Lawnmower Man in 1992, have experimented with presenting virtual reality, The Matrix had a tremendous cultural influence and introduced the issue of simulated reality into the public.
2007 – Google Brings Us Street View
Google Maps now includes street-level 360-degree photos collected by special automobiles equipped with specialized camera equipment. Immersive Media created its own dodecahedral camera for the project. Thanks to this technology, you may now "stand" in almost any corner of the world and gaze about.
2010 – Street View Goes 3D and the Oculus is Prototyped
Only a few years later, Street View obtains a 3D version, but Palmer Lucky's work is considerably more significant in the history of virtual reality. He's constructed a DIY VR headgear, but a chance encounter with computing expert John Carmack sets him on the path to making his "Oculus Rift" greater than he ever anticipated.
2012 – The Oculus Kickstarter
Palmer Lucky begins a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the Rift, his prototype headgear. The campaign is a clear dividing line between prior commercial failures of consumer VR and the present VR revolution, raising almost 2.5 million dollars.
2014 – Facebook Buys Oculus and Sony Announced their VR Project
The social media behemoth sees promise in Oculus technology and decides to purchase the firm, making Lucky extremely wealthy. This has been a banner year for virtual reality, with the introduction of Google Cardboard, PSVR, and the Samsung Gear VR. Virtual reality has been a highly popular topic recently.
Sony also stated that they are working on a VR add-on for the popular PS4 device this year. Because the PS4 is so much less powerful than today's VR-capable systems, everyone is interested to see how they'll pull it off.
2016–2017 – All Hell Breaks Loose
Everyone is releasing VR goods that are ready for primetime this year. The Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are the frontrunners, but the floodgates have fully opened. You can see the results of this boom by visiting our HMD database.
2018 – Standalone VR Rises, Mobile VR Dies
Both the Oculus Go and the Oculus Quest are now available. Two instances of standalone virtual reality that do not require the use of a computer or smartphone to operate. Mobile VR is gradually becoming less expensive, and standalone devices like the Go are relatively reasonable.
2019 – VR is Shifting Rapidly
Standalone VR headsets increasingly include mixed reality systems and advanced technology. The Oculus Quest gets a guarantee of tethering, while smartphone-based VR projects start to fade away.
The cost of VR headsets has plummeted, and computer gear capable of operating these headsets has become almost ubiquitous. There are a slew of sophisticated headsets on the horizon. Varifocal technology, ultra-wide fields of view, hand scanning, and eye-tracking are just a few of the major advancements. Major corporations such as Apple are rumored to be working on mixed reality projects, and it appears that VR and mixed reality will be inextricably linked in the future.
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