Written by

Bernard Marr

Bernard Marr is a world-renowned futurist, influencer and thought leader in the fields of business and technology, with a passion for using technology for the good of humanity. He is a best-selling author of over 20 books, writes a regular column for Forbes and advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organisations. He has a combined following of 4 million people across his social media channels and newsletters and was ranked by LinkedIn as one of the top 5 business influencers in the world.

Bernard’s latest books are ‘Future Skills’, ‘The Future Internet’, ‘Business Trends in Practice’ and ‘Generative AI in Practice’.

Generative AI Book Launch
View My Latest Books

Follow Me

Bernard Marr ist ein weltbekannter Futurist, Influencer und Vordenker in den Bereichen Wirtschaft und Technologie mit einer Leidenschaft für den Einsatz von Technologie zum Wohle der Menschheit. Er ist Bestsellerautor von 20 Büchern, schreibt eine regelmäßige Kolumne für Forbes und berät und coacht viele der weltweit bekanntesten Organisationen. Er hat über 2 Millionen Social-Media-Follower, 1 Million Newsletter-Abonnenten und wurde von LinkedIn als einer der Top-5-Business-Influencer der Welt und von Xing als Top Mind 2021 ausgezeichnet.

Bernards neueste Bücher sind ‘Künstliche Intelligenz im Unternehmen: Innovative Anwendungen in 50 Erfolgreichen Unternehmen’

View Latest Book

Follow Me

The Fascinating History And Evolution Of Extended Reality (XR) – Covering AR, VR And MR

2 July 2021

Did you know the origins of extended reality (XR) – the spectrum of immersive technologies that includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) – stretch all the way back to the 1800s? In this article, I take a whistle-stop tour through the key milestones in the evolution of XR.

 | Bernard Marr

The 1800s

In 1838, scientist Sir Charles Wheatstone outlined the concept of “stereopsis” or “binocular vision” – where the brain combines two images (one from each eye) to make a single 3D image. This led to the development of the first stereoscopes, devices that took a pair of images and turned them into a 3D image with the illusion of depth. Stereoscopic displays are used in today’s VR systems to bring a sense of depth to digital images – thereby enhancing the feeling of immersion.

The early 1900s

Now we jump forward a bit to 1935 when American science fiction writer Stanley Weinbaum published Pygmalion’s Spectacles, in which the main character explores a fictional world using a pair of goggles. This was the first prediction of VR as we know it today.

The 1950s to the 1970s

Across the 50s, 60s, and 70s, we began to see early examples of VR and AR technology in action:

  • In 1956, cinematographer Morton Heilig created Sensorama, the first VR machine. This movie booth combined 3D, color video (using the stereoscopic technology I’ve already mentioned) with audio, smells, and a vibrating chair to immerse the viewer in the movie. Heilig would go on to patent the first head-mounted display – combining stereoscopic 3D images with stereo sound – in 1960.
  • Building on Heilig’s idea, engineers from Philco created the Headsight headset in 1961. Designed for military use, this was the first VR headset with motion tracking technology.
  • Also in the 1960s, computer scientist Ivan Sutherland presented a paper outlining his concept of the “Ultimate Display,” a virtual world so realistic that the user wouldn’t be able to differentiate it from reality. This is widely considered the blueprint for modern VR.
  • And in 1968, the first AR headset was created by Harvard professor Ivan Sutherland. Called “The Sword of Damocles,” the headset displayed computer-generated graphics that enhanced the user’s perception of the world – an early precursor to today’s AR experiences.
  • Moving into the 1970s, MIT created Aspen Movie Map, a computer-generated tour of the streets of Aspen, which was created using photographs taken by a car driving through the city. (Sound familiar, Google?) This experience was arguably the first to show how VR could transport users to another place entirely.

From the 1980s to 2000

In the 1980s, new technology emerged to enhance the VR experience. The first company to sell VR goggles and gloves, VPL Research Inc, was founded in 1985 – and it was one of VPL’s founders, Jaron Lanier, who coined the term “virtual reality” in 1987. (The term “augmented reality” was coined in 1990 by Boeing researcher Tom Caudell.) Then along came VR arcade machines in the early 1990s, like the SEGA VR-1 motion simulator. And by the mid-90s, affordable VR headsets were becoming available for home use.

But what about AR? In 1998, Sportsvision broadcast the first live NFL game with the yellow yard marker (a yellow line overlayed on top of the live camera feed). It was a game-changer, and the idea of overlaying graphics over the real-world view quickly spread to other sports broadcasting.

And finally, from 2010 to 2020

I’ll skip the early 2000s because it was a quiet time for XR technology. (Although the introduction of Google Street View in 2007 arguably ties in with VR, since it allows users to visit a different place.) But from 2010 onwards, XR technologies really began to gain momentum. Some of the key highlights from this decade include:

  • In 2010, 18-year-old Palmer Luckey created the prototype for the Oculus Rift VR headset. With its 90-degree field of vision and use of computer processing power, the revolutionary headset reignited interest in VR. A Kickstarter campaign for the headset later raised $2.4 million, and Luckey’s company Oculus VR was acquired by Facebook in 2014 for around $2 billion.
  • Also in 2014 – a busy year for XR – Sony, and Samsung announced they were creating their own VR headsets. Meanwhile, Google released its first Cardboard device, a low-cost cardboard VR viewer for smartphones, and unveiled its Google Glass AR glasses, which overlay digital information onto the real world and allow users to access apps like Gmail. Consumer response to Google’s AR glasses was lukewarm – users were dubbed “glassholes” – but Google would go on to have more success with enterprise editions of Google Glass.
  • Then, in 2016 Microsoft released its HoloLens headset, which took the idea of AR to a new level by creating a more interactive experience (hence, the phrase “mixed reality”). This was also the year in which the Pokémon GO game bought AR into the mainstream. By the end of 2016, hundreds of companies were developing VR and AR experiences.
  • In 2017 we saw an early application of AR in mainstream retail, with the release of the IKEA Place app, which lets users see how furniture would look in their home before they buy.

By 2020, the use of VR, AR, and MR had quickly extended to a wide range of industries. Today, I’m seeing the adoption of XR technologies across sectors as diverse as manufacturing, education, healthcare, construction, and even law enforcement.

This widening of XR applications is critical to the evolution of XR, because it proves that XR is no longer just for gaming and entertainment. I can’t wait to see how these technologies evolve in the future and become even more mainstream. Watch this space…

Where to go from here

If you would like to know more about , check out my articles on:

Or browse the Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning library to find the metrics that matter most to you.


Business Trends In Practice | Bernard Marr
Business Trends In Practice | Bernard Marr

Related Articles

7 Tips For Implementing Generative AI In Your Organization

There is no doubt about it: generative AI is a transformative technology – a revolutionary tool that will change how we work.[...]

5+ Generative AI Writing Tools Everyone Should Know About

One of the most popular use cases for generative AI is writing. This is thanks to the ability of tools like ChatGPT and Gemini to create any kind of text, from poetry and fiction to technical documents.[...]

The Future Of Generative AI: 6 Predictions Everyone Should Know About

Generative AI is an utterly transformative technology that is already impacting how organizations and individuals work.[...]

The Biggest Consumer Technology Trends In The Next 10 Years

Sometimes, it's nice to take a break from peeking at what's just around the corner to try and gaze a bit further ahead![...]

7 Ways Retailers Are Using Generative AI To Provide A Better Shopping Experience

Generative AI is a transformative tool that will impact almost all industries. And retail is no exception.[...]

The Best Generative AI Courses Money Can Buy

Whether you want to improve your current skills or transition into one of the many new jobs being created thanks to AI, understanding how to use generative AI can benefit just about anyone.[...]

Sign up to Stay in Touch!

Bernard Marr is a world-renowned futurist, influencer and thought leader in the fields of business and technology, with a passion for using technology for the good of humanity.

He is a best-selling author of over 20 books, writes a regular column for Forbes and advises and coaches many of the world’s best-known organisations.

He has a combined following of 4 million people across his social media channels and newsletters and was ranked by LinkedIn as one of the top 5 business influencers in the world.

Bernard’s latest book is ‘Generative AI in Practice’.

Sign Up Today

Social Media

0
Followers
0
Followers
0
Followers
0
Subscribers
0
Followers
0
Subscribers
0
Yearly Views
0
Readers

Podcasts

View Podcasts