The Sensorama is known as the earliest concept of immersive technology. It was invented by Morton Heilig who was touted as the father of virtual reality device in 1957 and patented in 1962 . It was a head-mounted display that played 3D film accompanied by sound, moving air, and aromas to create a virtual sensory environment. The user would sit on a rotating chair which enabled them to face this screen, and be shown the stereoscopic images which gave the illusion of depth and the ability to view something from different angles.
The Concept of Immersion
Simply, immersion can refer to “a perception of being physically in a non-physical environment”. While Morton Heilig was inspired by short-lived curiosities like 3D movies and Cinerama , he believed that:
“by expanding cinema to involve not only sight and sound, but also taste, touch, and smell, the traditional fourth wall of film and theater would dissolve, transporting the audience into a habitable, virtual world.”
In this “experience theater”, user is able to feel of being inside and interact with his environment in meaningful ways. And the combination of a sense of immersion and interactivity can be also called “telepresence“.
The First Virtual Reality Device (?)
Sensorama widely was considered the pioneer of VR technology. However, when I deeply studied, there are other critiques indicated that The Sword of Damocles should be the priority. They claimed that The Sword of Democles is more in-line with what we would consider modern VR, and importantly unlike the Sensorama, it is computerized. VR usually was defined as:
“A computer-generated scenario that simulates a realistic experience.”
But, from the patent publication of Sensorama, We can clearly find that the main structure was supported by non-computerized components.
“A visual image projection is supported by the housing, and an optical means is included to direct images from the projection means to the hood. In addition to the above, means is provided to direct a breeze toward this hood, and at least one odor-sense stimulating substance is positioned to be releasable into the breeze in response to a signal from a suitable coordinating means.” – Patent Claim
“Sensorama is the first VR device” still need to be considered and discussed further. From the modern perspective, The Sword of Damocles is closer to the prototype of VR whether the concept or structure. In my opinion, Sensorama may be defined the first idea of immersion experience, and the first VR device should be The Sword of Damocles. After all, immersion can be non-computerized.
Selling The Future
Last but not least, This example is more unique than the previous works which discussing on the class. Heilig found commercial potential from this concept. In his patent publication, he was mentioned that in 50’s:
“There are increasing demands today for ways and means to teach and train individuals without actually subjecting the individuals to possible hazards of particular situations.”
Apparently, he successfully predicted the future, scores of companies use VR as a way to showcase their products and experiences nowadays. But in his generation, corporations weren’t ready, and this work failed to secure sufficient investment and sales. From the contemporary viewpoint, Sensorama exactly has a huge benefit and the direction of development is as he expected either. This failure story just like narrates that true genius is seldom recognized until it’s too late.
like Alex Lambert, Creative Director of a immersive experiences company, frequently references the case of Sensorama device. “It’s amazing that someone did this with the rudimentary technology of the 1960s. That’s some serious ambition!”