Virtual Reality - In the Beginning

Have you heard about Virtual Reality (VR) technology?  We’ve started a new curriculum that focuses on what VR is, its origins, and the latest gear and software. This first lesson explains how it all started over a hundred years ago.

2020-02-05 · Charlie Samra ·

Virtual Reality - In the Beginning

Virtual reality, or VR for short, is the term used to describe a three-dimensional, computer-generated environment.  Humans can experience virtual reality by donning a headset, and selecting an application in which they would like to explore and interact.  There are copious applications to choose from.  There are travel VR applications that can virtually transport you to another place in the world without leaving your easy chair.  There are other more interactive applications, such as sports, shooter, and racing games that can be very stimulating and realistic.  New applications are constantly being created for VR.

How did this all get started?  Well, many point to the 1980s to identify the genesis of VR, but to be fair the concepts of virtual reality go back much further in time.

A key aspect of VR is that the "world" it renders is three-dimensional.  The theory of how VR mimics a 3D image that fools the human brain traces back to 1832.  Then, Charles Wheatstone created the stereoscope, a viewing device, and a method of creating "pictorial content" that gave the viewer the impression that they were seeing a three dimensional image.  This was seven years before photography was invented, so all the pictures for the stereoscope were hand drawn.

Photography turned the stereoscope into a powerful medium which allowed people to discover the world at a time when traveling was expensive and even risky.  One could view the Parthenon, the Pyramids, a Paris cafe and countless other scenes by using the stereoscope. 

Some companies jumped into creating catalogs of pictures for viewing.  Starting in 1892, the Keystone View Company produced thousands of images of people and places from the United States and around the world. The photos were of historical, social, cultural, and geographic interest. The company was founded by BL Singley, an amateur photographer who began by selling glass slides of local interest.  By 1905 it was the largest stereographic company in the world. Keystone created and distributed millions of stereographs throughout the United States. In 1898 they organized their highly successful Education Department which produced boxed sets for school instruction of images and descriptive text illustrating culture, industry, commerce and politics worldwide.

 

 

 

単語

フラッシュカードドリル
virtual reality バーチャルリアリティ B2 · 中上級 専門
  1. I first experienced virtual reality years ago on a primitive device by a company named Oculus.
    (わたし)(なん)(ねん)(まえ)に、Oculusという会社(かいしゃ)原始(げんし)(てき)なデバイスでバーチャルリアリティを(はじ)めて体験(たいけん)しました。
copious 豊富(ほうふ) C1 · 上級 実用
  1. The college student took copious notes, filling page after page.
    大学生(だいがくせい)はたくさんのメモを()り、ページを次々(つぎつぎ)()めていった。
genesis 創世(そうせい)() C1 · 上級 実用
  1. The genesis of any great idea is hard work and study.
    素晴(すば)らしいアイデアの起源(きげん)は、ハードワークと研究(けんきゅう)です。
  2. In her autobiography, the famous songwriter describes her most popular song's genesis and profound meaning.
    彼女(かのじょ)自伝(じでん)では、有名(ゆうめい)なソングライターが彼女(かのじょ)(もっと)人気(にんき)のある(きょく)起源(きげん)(ふか)意味(いみ)説明(せつめい)しています。
render (あた)える C1 · 上級 専門
  1. The latest VR travel application from Oculus renders beautiful images of Kyoto that are all simulations of the real place.
    Oculusの最新(さいしん)のVR旅行(りょこう)アプリケーションは、すべて実際(じっさい)場所(ばしょ)のシミュレーションである京都(きょうと)(うつく)しい画像(がぞう)をレンダリングします。
stereoscope ステレオスコープ C2 · 最上級 専門
  1. One can buy one of the original stereoscopes on Ebay for very little money, surprisingly.
    (おどろ)くべきことに、Ebayでオリジナルのステレオスコープの1つをごくわずかなお(かね)購入(こうにゅう)できます。
stereograph ステレオグラフ C2 · 最上級 専門
  1. In the early 1900's there were many companies creating stereographs on both paper and glass.
    1900年代(ねんだい)初頭(しょとう)には、(かみ)とガラスの両方(りょうほう)にステレオグラフを作成(さくせい)する(おお)くの企業(きぎょう)がありました。

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