Thanks to advancements in technology from inventors, the military, and NASA, virtual reality has made leaps and bounds over the years.
Some people would tell you that the earliest form of virtual reality was panoramic paintings, designed to immerse you in the location depicted. Regardless of whether or not you think that fits the definition, we’ve certainly come a long way since then.
Thanks to advancements in technology from inventors, the military, and NASA, virtual reality has made leaps and bounds over the years. It’s kind of surprising, though, that even with how much we’ve improved technologically, many of the designs from the 1900s and earlier are still awfully similar-looking to the groundbreaking devices we have today.
So put on your VR goggles and take a walk through history. It sure beats being wherever you are at the moment.
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1838 - The Stereoscope was invented by Charles Wheatstone. It used two slightly offset pictures to allow the eyes to process both photos into a single 3D effect.
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A more recent example of a stereoscope.
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Late 1800s - an advertisement for a stereoscope.
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1929 - The first commercial flight simulator, called the Link Trainer, was invented by Edward Link. It allowed pilots to train their skills safely.
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A Link Trainer in a museum.
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1935 - A science fiction story predicted VR. The story described high-tech goggles that would let the wearer experience a virtual world.
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1939 - The View-Master was invented. 90s kids will remember this one.
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The classic 1990s version of the View Master.
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1950s - Cinematographer Morton Heilig developed the Sensorama, which was an arcade-style theater cabinet that would play films that simulated all five senses.
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An advertisement for the Sensorama.
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1960 - Morton Heilig’s next invention was the Telesphere Mask, which was the first head-mounted virtual reality display. For something almost 70 years old, it looks surprisingly similar to modern VR goggles.
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1961 - The Headsight was a device developed for the military to safely and immersively survey dangerous situations. It tracked head movements to turn a closed circuit camera.
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1963 - Writer and inventor Hugo Gernsback created this mockup of his ‘teleyeglasses’, a head-mounted device that allowed the wearer to watch TV. He believed it would be the future of television watching.
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1968 - Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproul created the first head-mounted VR display that was connected to a computer and not a camera. It was called the ‘Sword of Damocles’, because it hung over the head of the user.
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1982 - Daniel Sandin and Thomas DeFanti invent the Sayre gloves. These wired gloves connected to a computer that tracked their movement for gesture control.
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1986 - A military engineer named Thomas Furness created this flight simulator called the Super Cockpit that is credited with kickstarting modern flight sim technology.
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Late 1980s - VPL Research releases a full commercial virtual reality system called Reality Built For Two. It cost $100,000.
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1989 - NASA created the VIEW - Virtual Environment Workstation. This allowed astronauts to train for space in a virtual environment.
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Another picture of the NASA VIEW.
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1991 - Virtuality Group launched a range of virtual reality arcade machines that made VR accessible to the public.
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Another arcade game by the Virtuality Group.
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A multiplayer VR game by the Virtuality Group.
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1993 - Sega was set to release a consumer VR console, but it never made it past the prototype phase.
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1995 - Nintendo releases the Virtual Boy, a console which promised full truly 3D graphics. It was a complete flop.
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A gamer playing the Nintendo Virtual Boy.
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1998 - Sony releases the Glasstron, a head-mounted virtual PC desktop.
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2006 - An early prototype by Toshiba for a VR display that eschewed individual optics for each eye in favor of a large curved screen that provided up to 160-degree views. It was never released.
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2012 - In 2012, the Kickstarter for the Oculus Rift met its goal almost immediately, setting the standard for the VR goggles that we all know and love today.
