VR Timeline

1823

Babbage and the difference engine

1854

Boole; logic (Russel and Whitehead in 1910: Principia Mathematica)

1896

Hollerith and punch cards for US census; Tabulating Machine Co (1896 - became IBM)

1943

Code-breaking Enigma machine

1944

Flight simulators and other vehicular simulators - used pitch, yaw, and roll

1947

UNIVAC by Mauchly and Eckert - first commercial computer

1956

Morton Heilig invented the Sensorama (film, imaginary ride in NYC, vibrating handlebars and sear, wind velocity, fumes and aromas)

1957

Heilig used head mounted goggles

1960

Boeing coined term computer graphics

1961

Integrated circuits used in computers

1963+

Ivan Sutherland's doctoral theses: SKETCHPAD: A man-machine graphical communication system. Sutherland used stereo HMD, position tracking, and a graphics engine. Considered the founder of VR. His vision of VR contained in '65 paper: The Ultimate Display. Recognized the importance of computer generated images. Evans and Sutherland formed a company for the production of graphics engines for simulators. Sutherland used trackers in '68.

1966+

Tom Furness: display systems for pilots; defense work. Went to U of WA and formed HIT (Human Interface Technology) lab.

1967+

Brooks et all at UNC Chapel Hill developed force feedback GROPE system; manipulate chemical structures and feel forces; architectural walk-throughs.

1977

Sandin and Sayre invent a bend-sensing glove

1979

Raab et al: Polhemus tracking system

1981

Furness developed "virtual cockpit"

1983

Myron Krueger: writes Artificial Reality (worked earlier on creating responsive art forms)

1987

Zimmerman et al: interactive glove- based on earlier work

1989

Jaron Lanier (CEO of VPL) coins the term virtual reality - commercial HMDs

1994

VR Society formed