Evolution of XR Technologies
Break down the components of XR technologies, from historical innovations to cutting-edge developments, offering insights into the convergence of real and virtual worlds.
Extended reality (XR) is an umbrella term that encompasses all AR, VR, and MR technologies. In this section, we’ll explore the XR or metaverse technologies that act as our gateway to the virtual worlds offered by the metaverse.
Virtual reality (VR)
VR headsets play a pivotal role in the metaverse. Although they have recently gained popularity, they have a history behind them.
Historical overview of VR technology
Before checking out the latest VR headsets, let’s briefly check out the condensed overview of the VR headsets evolution:
- The Sensorama, invented in 1962 by Morton Heilig, is considered one of the earliest VR systems. The first use case of this pioneer VR system was to act as a multisensory theater. It was a mechanical device comprising a stereoscopic color display, a stereo sound system, a motion simulator chair, fans, and odor emitters. The first simulation of Sensorama was a motorcycle riding through the streets of New York, stimulating the senses through the multisensors installed in it.
The first head-mounted display system with 3D-tracking system capabilities was invented by Ivan Sutherland and his student Bob Sproull in 1968. This display system is known as the sword of Damocles. This system tracked the user’s movement in 3D and displayed the updated output on the stereoscopic display system.