I have created a timeline of technological developments in virtual reality (VR), focusing on stereoscopic technologies, and their educational use in schools, military, NASA, and medical training. The timeline starts in 1838, with the first stereoscope, and follows through to present day. Click the image below to scroll through the interactive timeline and click on events for more information.
September 19, 2017 at 5:16 pm
Hello Mary!
Two things stood out while enjoying your chart. The fact that since 1838 the early concept of VR -not called as such- was being dealt with; and the huge time span that past since that moment until someone picked-up the ball again, so to speak. Sixty years is an eternity!
Question: Would the info from the dashboard projected onto the windshield of a car count as VR?… just curious ;-).
Cheers!
Alfonso
September 21, 2017 at 10:08 am
Hi Alfonso, it’s true there is a big gap. I imagine people were experimenting with uses in that time span but there were no major advances in that time that I could point to.
I believe there are many interpretations of VR. For example, Narrative as Virtual Reality (Ryan, 2001) discusses immersive literature as virtual reality. My timeline focused specifically on stereoscopic technology.
Cheers! 🙂