A Brief History of VR Reading Sherman Craig

Organization z. Three-Dimensional Display z. Virtual Reality Systems z. Important Events © 2003 Larry

3 D Display y 1838 -1948 - Early Systems y 1967 - Traub’s Varifocal

Early 3 D Display 1838 - Wheatstone Stereoscope 1849 - Brewster Stereoscope 1903 -

Volumetric Displays z 1967 - Traub’s Varifocal Mirror z 1981 – Larry Sher at

Commercial Shutter Glasses for CRT-based Stereoscopic Display z Time-multiplexed stereoscopic display y 1970 s

LEEP Optics z. Eric Howlett, Pop-Optix Labs 1979 z. Large Expanse, Extra Perspective (LEEP) z. Originally for stereoscopic still photo viewing z. Lenses correct for intentional camera distortion z. Later used in HMDs © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

Virtual Reality Systems z 1956 – Sensorama z 1960 – Heileg’s HMD z 1965 -68 – The Ultimate Display z 1983 – Video Place z 1985 – NASA AMES z 1986 -89 – Super Cockpit Program z 1990 s – Boom Displays z 1992 – CAVE (at Siggraph) z 1995 - Workbench © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

Sensorama Morton Heilig, 1956 Motorcycle simulator - all senses • visual (city scenes) •

Heilig’s HMD (1960) Simulation Mask from Heilig’s 1960 patent z 3 D photographic slides

Ivan Sutherland z. The Ultimate Display (FIPS 1965) y. Data Visualization: “A display connected to a digital computer…is a looking glass into a mathematical wonderland. ” y. Body Tracking: “The computer can easily sense the positions of almost any of our body muscles. ” © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

Ultimate Display (cont. ) y. Virtual Environments that mimic real environments: “A chair display 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. ” y. VEs that go beyond reality: “There is no reason why the objects displayed by a computer have to follow ordinary rules of physical reality with which we are familiar. ” © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

First HMD-Based VR • 1965 - The Ultimate Display paper by Sutherland • 1968

Molecular Docking Simulator • Incorporated force feedback • Visualize an abstract simulation c 07 Ben Lok, c 08 Sab Babu

1983 - Artificial Reality Responsive Environment z Is an environment where human behavior is perceived by a computer which interprets what it observes and responds through intelligent visual and auditory displays z Contained many of the ideas that define: y VR y Context Aware Computing z Video Place [youtube] z © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

Data Gloves • Light, electrical or metal detectors compute “bend” • Electrical sensors detect pinches. • Force feedback mechanical linkages c 07 Ben Lok, c 08 Sab Babu

1985 - Nasa Ames HMD z Mc. Greevy and Humphries y. Wearable immersive HMDs

Super Cockpit - Tom Furness z Wright Patterson Air Force Base z Visual, auditory, tactile z Head, eye, speech, and hand input z Designed to deal with problem of pilot information overload y Flight controls and tasks too complicated z Research only y Big system, not safe for ejecting © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

Fake. Space Boom Display early 1990 s © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

Virtual Workbench-1995 (Responsive Workbench, Immersidesk, etc. ) © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

VR Events z 1985 - VPL Founded z 1987 - VR in Scientific American z 1990 – Siggraph Panel Session z 1991 - ICAT (International Conference on Artificial Reality and Telexistence) in Japan z 1995 – IEEE Virtual Reality Annual International Symposium (VRAIS 95). z 1995 – Beginning of Clinical VR z 1999 – VRAIS replaced by IEEE VR Conference © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

VPL Founded - 1985 z. First VR Company z. VPL Research by Jaron Lanier

VR Comes to the Public’s Attention 1987 Article by Jim Foley that features the

Siggraph 1990 Special Session: Hip, Hype and Hope – The Three Faces of Virtual Worlds Chair: Bob Jacobson, University of Washington Panelists: John Barlow, Author and Songwritter Nolan Bushnell, Aaps, Inc. Esther Dyson, Editor, Release 1. 0, Analyst Tom Furness, Human Interface Technology Lab Timothy Leary, University of Pittsburgh Warren Robinette, University of North Carolina Randall Walser, Autodesk © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

1995 - First IEEE Virtual Reality Annual International Symposium (now IEEE VR) z. VRAIS 93 in Seattle z. Research Frontiers in VR workshop at Visualization 93 z“Timothy Leary Wasn’t Invited” http: //www. cs. uncc. edu/~lfhodges/UNCCVR/Fall 03/VRAIS 95. gif © 2003 Larry F. Hodges

1995 - Effectiveness of computer-generated (VR) graded exposure in the treatment of acrophobia in

First IEEE VR in 1999 z Announced at VRAIS 98 in Atlanta z First IEEE VR held in Houston in 1999 http: //www. cs. uncc. edu/~lfhodges/UNCCVR/Fall 03/VR 99. pdf z now an annual conference z others: ACM VRST… © 2003 Larry F. Hodges