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{{:Virtual Reality Use Cases}}
==Virtual Reality Historytimeline=='''Timeline'''[[File:Stereoscopic images.png|thumb|Figure 1. Stereoscopic images (Image: www.vrs.org.uk)]][[File:Link trainer.png|thumb|Figure 2. Link Trainer (Image: www.vrs.org.uk)]][[File:Sensorama.png|thumb|Figure 3. Sensorama (Image: www.vrs.org.uk)]][[File:VR Nasa.png|thumb|Figure 4. Virtual Environment Reality workstation technology (Image: www.sciencefocus.com)]][[File:VR arcade.png|thumb|Figure 5. VR Arcade Machines (Image: www.vrs.org.uk)]] Virtual reality has a long history of development. While the main advancements happened after the introduction of electronics and computer technology, there are precursors to the ideas and implementation of VR that date as far back as the 1800s. For example, focusing solely on VR as a means of creating the illusion of being someplace else, then the earliest attempts at virtual reality could be considered the panoramic murals (or 360-degree murals). These would fill the viewer’s field of vision with the intention of making them feel a sense of presence at a certain historical event or scene <ref name=”1”> Virtual Reality Society. History of Virtual Reality. Retrieved from https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/history.html</ref> <ref name=”2”> The Franklin Institute. History of Virtual Reality. Retrieved from https://www.fi.edu/virtual-reality/history-of-virtual-reality</ref>. What follows is a timeline of the main historical dates and events in the development of VR. ===1838 - Stereoscopic viewers and photos=== Charles Wheatstone demonstrated that the brain processes different two-dimensional images for each eye into a single three dimensional object (Figure 1). The stereoscope was invented in the same year and used twin mirrors to project a single image. When viewing two side by side stereoscopic images through a stereoscope, it gave the sense of depth and immersion <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”2”></ref> <ref name=”3”> Gemsense. Virtual Reality: History, projections and developments. Retrieved from http://gemsense.cool/virtual-reality-developments/</ref>. In 1839, William Gruber also patented the View-Master stereoscope which was used for “virtual tourism” and still is produced today. The design principles of the stereoscope can still be found in the Google Cardboard and low-budget VR headsets for smartphones <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”3”></ref>. It could be argued that since the creation of stereoscopic images, people have been interested in making images more three dimensional to enrich its experience <ref name=”3”></ref>. ===1929 - Link Trainer=== Edward Link creates the first commercial flight simulator - the Link Trainer (Figure 2). It was entirely electromechanical, “controlled by motors that linked to the rudder and steering column to modify the pitch and roll.” It had a small motor-driven device that simulated turbulence and other disturbances. These flight simulators were used by over 500,000 pilots during World War II for initial training and improving skills <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”3”></ref>. ===1936 - Pygmalion’s Spectacles=== Science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum wrote a short story - Pygmalion’s Spectacles - that had the idea of a pair of goggles that allowed the user to experience a different world through holographic recordings, smell, taste, and touch. This concept can be easily equated to the VR devices that are currently available or under development <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”3”></ref> <ref name=”4”> Evenden, I. (2016). The history of virtual reality. Retrieved from http://www.sciencefocus.com/article/history-of-virtual-reality</ref>. ===1956 - The Sensorama=== Cinematographer Morton Heilig develops the Sensorama, which was patented only in 1962 and might be considered the first true VR system. It was an arcade-style cabinet that stimulated all the senses. It had a stereoscopic 3D display, stereo speakers, vibrating seat, fans, and a scent producer. It was intended to fully immerse the person in a film. Heilig created six short films for his invention titled Motorcycle, Belly Dancer, Dune Buggy, Helicopter, A date with Sabina and I’m a coca cola bottle! Heilig intended the Sensorama to be one in a line of products for the “cinema of the future”. Unable to secure financial backing, his vision never became reality <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”2”></ref> <ref name=”4”></ref> <ref name=”5”> Robertson, A. and Zelenko, M. Voices from a virtual past. Retrieved from https://www.theverge.com/a/virtual-reality/oral_history</ref> <ref name=”6”> Mazuryk, T. and Gervautz, M. (1996). Virtual Reality - History, applications, technology and Future (Technical Report). Retrieved from https://www.cg.tuwien.ac.at/research/publications/1996/mazuryk-1996-VRH/TR-186-2-96-06Paper.pdf</ref>. ===1960 - First VR Head-Mounted Display=== After the Sensorama, Morton Heilig invented the first example of a virtual reality headset - the Telesphere Mask. It only worked with non-interactive films and didn’t have motion tracking. Nevertheless, the headset provided stereoscopic 3D and wide vision with stereo sound <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”2”></ref>. ===1961 - First motion tracking HMD=== The true precursor of the HMDs available today was developed by two Philco Corporation engineers, Comeau and Bryan. It was called Headsight and it incorporated a video screen for each eye and a magnetic motion tracking system. This system was linked to a closed circuit camera. The device wasn’t developed for virtual reality applications. Instead, its goal was to allow immersive remote viewing of dangerous situations by the military. The head movements of the used would be replicated by a remote camera, allowing him to look around the environment. While the Headsight was a step in the evolution of the virtual reality headset, it lacked the integration of a computer and image generation <ref name=”1”></ref>. ===1965 - The Ultimate Display=== Ivan Sutherland developed the concept of the “Ultimate Display”. This device could simulate the natural world so realistically that a user could not tell the difference between actual reality and virtual reality. The concept comprised of a virtual world viewed through an HMD and had augmented 3D sound and tactile feedback; computer hardware that created the virtual environment and maintained it in real time; and interactivity between users and objects from the VR world in a realistic way. Sutherland suggested that the device would serve as a “windows into a virtual world”, and his idea would become a core blueprint for the concepts that encompass current VR <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”2”></ref> <ref name=”6”></ref>. ===1968 - Sword of Damocles=== Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull created the Sword of Damocles, an HMD that was held by a mechanical arm mounted on a ceiling. The device was connected to a computer and displayed simple wireframe graphics to the user. The arm tracked the user’s head movements but was difficult to use. The contraption was also too heavy and bulky for comfortable use <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”4”></ref> <ref name=”6”></ref>. ===1969 - Artificial Reality=== Myron Kruegere developed a series of experiences called “Artificial Reality”. He developed computer-generated environments that responded to the people in it. He created several projects such as Glowflow, Metaplay, and Psychic Space leading to the development of the Videoplace technology. This enabled communication between people at a distance in a responsive computer-generated environment <ref name=”1”></ref>. ===1982 - Sayre gloves=== The Sayre glove was the first wired glove. It was invented by Daniel J. Sandin and Thomas Defanti from an idea by Richard Sayre. Both scientists were from the Electronic Visualization Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Chicago. The glove used light emitters and photocells in the fingers. When flexed, the quantity of light reaching the photocell changed, translating the finger movements into electrical signals <ref name=”4”></ref>. ===1985 - NASA project=== The Virtual Environment Workstation Project at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, was founded with the purpose of producing a VR system that allowed astronauts to control robots outside a space station (Figure 4). The HMD that was developed had super-wide optics (almost an 180-degree field of view) <ref name=”4”></ref>. ===1987 - The “Virtual Reality” name is coined=== Before this date, even though there had been developments in VR, there wasn’t a term to describe the field. In 1987, Jaron Lanier (founder of the Visual Programming Lab, VPL) finally coined the term “virtual reality”. Lanier, through his company, developed a range of VR gear like the Dataglove and the EyePhone headset. The company also made the first surgical simulator, the first vehicle prototyping simulator, and the first architecture simulators <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”2”></ref> <ref name=”4”></ref>. ===1988 - Videoplace=== Myron Kruegere created the Videoplace, which was the first interactive VR platform. The virtual reality surrounded the user and responded to movements and actions without the use of goggles or gloves. The Videoplace was a mix of several other artificial reality systems that he had developed <ref name=”6”></ref> <ref name=”7”> Freefly VR. Time travel through virtual reality. Retrieved from https://freeflyvr.com/time-travel-through-virtual-reality/</ref>. ===1991 - Virtuality Group=== By this time, VR devices started to be available to the public (although owning cutting-edge VR was still out of reach). The Virtuality Group launched several arcade games and machines in which players would use a set of VR goggles (Figure 5). The machines had immersive stereoscopic 3D visuals, handheld joysticks, and some unit were networked together for multiplayer gaming. There were some discussions about bringing Virtuality to Atari’s Jaguar console, but the idea was abandoned <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”4”></ref>. ===1993 - Sega’s virtual reality headset=== At the Consumer Electronics Show in 1993, Sega announced a virtual reality headset for the Sega Genesis console. The prototype had head tracking, stereo sound and LCD screens in the visor. The company intended to have a general release of the product but technical difficulties stopped that from happening and the headset would remain in the prototype phase <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”4”></ref>. ===1995 - Nintendo Virtual Boy=== The Virtual Boy was a 3D gaming console, marketed as the first portable console that could display 3D graphics. It was released in Japan and North America, and it was a commercial failure for the Japanese company. Some of the reasons for the failure were the lack of color in graphics (only red and black), lack of software support, and difficulty in using the console in a comfortable position. Production of the console was halted in 1996 <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”4”></ref>. ===Virtual reality in the 21st century=== After 1997, the public interest in VR saw a decrease. Nevertheless, the first fifteen years of the 21st century had several advancements in the field of virtual reality. Computer technology, including small and powerful mobile technologies, increased in power while prices were getting more accessible <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”4”></ref>.The interest in VR regained momentum after Palmer Luckey created the first prototype of the Oculus Rift, in 2011, and launched a kickstarter campaign for its development in 2012. The campaign was successful, raising $2.5 million. In March 2014, Facebook bought the company Oculus VR for $2 billion dollars. After this, virtual reality blew up, with multiple companies investing in the development of their own VR systems. The rise of smartphones with high-density displays and 3D capabilities has also enabled the development of lightweight and practical VR devices <ref name=”1”></ref> <ref name=”5”></ref> <ref name=”7”></ref>.
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