Apple Hires Virtual Reality Expert

Apple has recruited Virginia Tech University professor Doug Bowman, according to the Financial Times, as it looks to continue its research into both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)systems.

Bowman was previously Director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech, where he was renowned for his work on 3D user interfaces.

Going virtual

He and his team were recently among the winners of a grant for Microsoft HoloLens research projects, and he has also released several YouTube videos of concept wearable displays and full surround display units.

Rumours of an Apple virtual reality device first surfaced back in February 2015, when a patent application dating from 2010 and showing a VR headset that plugs into a smartphone was revealed.

Many of the world’s leading technology firms have invested in VR over the last few years, with recent estimates from Deloitte predicting that 2016 will be the first ‘billion dollar year’ for virtual reality. The firm predicts $700 million will be spent on hardware such as Oculus Rift, and $300 million splashed out on software.

In addition to this, 250 million headsets and 10 million copies of games are predicted to be sold this year, with HTC, Samsung and Sony are among the other manufacturers readying commercial VR headsets.

Last week, it was revealed that Google has created its own stand-alone business to concentrate on virtual reality projects, which could mean a return for the company’s Google Glass headset.

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