The Past, Present, and Future Outlook of Virtual Reality

The human family has always been fascinated with a desire to experience a world outside its own. It is the main reason why stories such as Alice in Wonderland became classics and why the boom of the film industry. However, they only provide second-hand experience. The desire for a first-hand experience gave birth to virtual reality. Here is a glance at how VR has evolved over the years and the outlook for the coming years.

The Past

VR technology, at least the concept, has been around for nearly two centuries. It came to life in 1838 when Charles Wheatstone discovered how the brain creates 3D images. He developed the stereoscope concept. The idea received its first real use a century later by the introduction of View-Master for virtual tourism. NASA improved VR technology over the years. However, none of the devices was available to the public until 1995 when Forte launched VFX1 Headgear for gaming enthusiasts. One headset cost about £470.

The Present

Virtual Reality has gained widespread acceptance in nearly every industry. It provides an effective bridge between experiencing reality and physical distance or convenience. Again the cost dropped to as low as £16. One outstanding application of VR is in schools for virtual field trips around the sun. Non-profit organisations and businesses have also taken up the use of VR to simulate situations. Lone Whale Foundation, for example, sends it donors to virtual underwater tours to display the organisation’s work.

The Future

The future of VR technology looks bright, especially in the gaming sector as gamers seek for a more immersive online gaming experience. The next level of gaming will include other subtle senses such as smell and touch. VR technology already enjoys a massive backing from the future workplace generation, the millennial. Recent research shows that up to seven in ten Millennials  are willing to use virtual reality in the workplace. Technology too is fast developing. Given the outlook, a shift from Virtual Reality to reality itself no longer seems like an idle imagination.