Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are powerful technologies that are being used in today’s world for vast applications stated Bahaa Al Zubaidi. Initially it was felt that these technologies are meant for the entertainment sector, but they are today being used in multiple sectors. In this article, you can get to know how these technologies evolved.

Evolution of Virtual Reality

The origin of virtual reality can be traced back to the panoramic paintings that became popular during the 19th century. These paintings gave a wide view of a scene and made the viewer feel they were present. In 1838, Charles Wheatstone invented the stereoscope to create a feeling of depth. This gave rise to the View Master invented by William Gruber in 1939. The principles used for these devices were later used for VR headsets.

The Sensorama was a device invented in the mid 50s by Morton Helig. The device allowed viewers to get an immersive experience with visuals, sound, and even smell. Helig is credited with developing the first VR head mounted display. He did it in 1960 and called it is the Telesphere Mask. There were many other inventions that resembled the modern VR headset, but the term VR was first coined in 1987 by Jaron Lanier. They were the first to sell VR devices. VR was initially used for gaming, but later used for other purposes.

Evolution of Augmented Reality

The origin of AR can be traced back to Boeing. It was in 1990 that a researcher in Boeing Tom Cauldell first used the term ‘Augmented Reality. He used this term to refer to integrating digital images in the real world. The first AR system was developed in 1992 by Louis Rosenberg of the USAF research labs. NASA’s space crafts used AR for navigation.

AR began to be used by the gaming sector from 2000 onwards. AR Quake was the first game to be developed that used head-mounted displays. During the 2000s, AR was used in smartphones. AR Tennis was a game developed for smartphones. In 2016, a very popular game Pokemon Go was developed using VR. The game took the world by storm. Since then, AR is being used for various applications.

Conclusion

AR and VR are game changer technologies that have vast applications. From entertainment to healthcare, and education to marketing there is no sector where these technologies cannot be used. AR and VR are here to stay and in the coming days we will see more uses. Thank you for your interest in Bahaa Al Zubaidi blogs. For more information, please visit www.bahaaalzubaidi.com