Apple has hired a top virtual reality researcher as it continues to slowly ramp up its focus on the field.
Doug Bowman was previously a professor computer science as well as director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech. While there, he was the principal investigator of the 3D Interaction Group, focusing on the benefits of immersion in virtual environments.
Photo: Virginia Tech
He is also the lead author of the book 3D User Interfaces: Theory and Practice, and received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation for his work on 3D Interaction, before taking a sabbatical.
Apple has been investigating virtual reality for at least a decade, despite not being as public about its research as companies like Google or the Oculus-owning Facebook.
Back in November 2006, the company filed a patent for an HMD (head-mounted display) system, which created images using a remote laser light engine. Unlike previous designs for HMDs , Apple’s system was more compact, while providing superior image quality.
Apple then expanded on this concept with a more comprehensive 2008 patent for a pair of Apple goggles, designed to let users view media and play games on a bigger screen than their mobile device’s built-in display.
Since then, Apple has continued to iterate on these concepts — although there has been no public release yet. Perhaps this latest hiring suggests that could be about to change?
Source: FT
