Introduction

Hello everybody! Today I am going to talk about virtual reality. When we hear the
expression “virtual reality”, many of us immediately associate it with games or films. However,
virtual reality is present in this and in much more. So why don't you come find out?

What is virtual reality?

Virtual reality is an environment, very similar to reality, that makes the user feel
immersed. VR allows us to immerse ourselves not only in games and films, but also in
situations for school or college, such as learning to perform a surgery, or for sports, such as
improving sports quality.

Virtual reality is something that is not very recent, despite appearing to be something
innovative and futuristic. Many people consider that the first step towards the beginning of
virtual reality was the sensorama, created in the 1960s, but, in fact, it was much earlier, as we
will see later on.

Difference between virtual reality and augmented reality

Virtual reality and augmented reality are similar but different things. While VR replaces
reality, AR ends up adding to reality. That is, while VR is a fully immersive world that makes us
feel that it is real, through objects, sounds, people, etc., AR adds these objects to the real
world. Both have enormous potential and are making a mark today, but nobody knows if this
technology will succeed in the future.

VR timeline
So, let's start from the beginning:

1838: on this date, the Stereoscope was created by Sir Charles Wheatstone, which is a device
that depicts the left-eye and the right-eye views of the same scene, as a single three-
dimensional image.

1929: on this date, the Link Trainer was created by Edwin Albert Link, which is a flight
simulador. This device this is also known as the "Blue Box" and the "Pilot Trainer". In addition,
with it, pilots could train and would have access to accurate readings of turbulence and
interference during take off and landing of the plane.

1962: on this date, the Sensorama was created by Morton Heilig, which was a mechanical
device used for playing films, through a combination of a 3D screen, stereo speakers, smells,
vibrations under the seats and atmospheric effects, like the wind.

1963: on this date, the Headsight was created by two engineers named Comeau and Bryan,
which has a magnetic tracking system that, with a remote camera, tracked head movements.

1982: on this date, Jaron Lanier released the EyePhone headgear, allowing physical interaction,
such as texting with the hands.

David Monteiro Nº3 10ºA

1987: on this date, Jaron Lanier came up with and coined the term “virtual reality”, becoming
known as "the father of VR".

1995: on this date, VR arrived at videogames with gaming system developed by Nintendo,
named Virtual Boy, which was the first-ever portable console displaying genuine three-
dimensional pictures.

2012: on this date, the Oculus Rift was created by the engineer Lucky Palmer, which is an
headset, used mostly for games, that uses optics and refresh rates to provide an other level of
visual fidelity and immersion.

Nowadays: it's all based on the first Oculus Rift, but all more sophisticated and with more
technology, such as the Oculus Go, the Oculus Quest, the HTC VIVE, and so on. Furthermore,
we had the intervention of major celebrities and brands in this area, such as Mark Zuckerberg,
Google, Samsung, among many others.

What will virtual reality look like in the future?

In my opinion, I think virtual reality still has a lot to grow. It sounds crazy what I'm
saying, but if we think about it, the sophisticated technology we have today will be much more
advanced in the future. In my perspective, we will have jobs at home and the virtual reality will
be our work tool, we will have a more practical school teaching (which may not be the best for
the young people of the future), we will also, unfortunately, have causes of addiction,
depression, eye problems, etc, due to VR, which is starting to appear nowadays, among many
others.

Conclusion
In conclusion, virtual reality is a technology that has come a long way since its
inception, and has a lot of potential for future growth and development. From gaming and
entertainment to education and training, VR has a wide range of applications and possibilities.
While there are concerns about the potential negative effects of VR, such as addiction and eye
problems, its benefits and opportunities cannot be ignored. As technology advances, it will be
interesting to see how virtual reality continues to evolve and shape our world.

David Monteiro Nº3 10ºA