The evolution of immersive technologies over time

In 1989 the artist Monika Fleishman disclosed a cutting-edge technology, Virtual Reality, long time before explored by Ivan Sutherland (Ward, 2024) and Morton Helig (Norman, n.d.). This was the origin of the exploitation of both Artificial Reality (1975) and Virtual Reality – on one side Myron Kruger (Krueger, n.d.), on other side Jaron Lanier (Lanier, n.d.) and Thomas Zimmer- man (Zimmerman, 1985). In 1978 Andrew Lippman developed the Aspen Movie Map, enabling virtual navigation along the streets of Aspen thanks to a sequence of pictures linked together. In 1991 Carolina Cruz-Neira, Daniel J. Sandin and Thomas A. De- Fanti developed the Cave Automatic Virtual Environment, better known as CAVE1, a cube with retro-projected surfaces enabling one explorer to accompany small groups to visit a virtual en- vironment. In 1993 Infobyte, a VR company located in Rome, developed a set of interactive Virtual Reality applications mainly devoted to exploring the application field of cultural heritage, Basilica Superiore di Assisi was the first application followed by Nefertary’s Tomb, Rome Colosseum, St. Peter Basilica, Raffaello’s Rooms, etc. Almost all the virtual environment created by In- fobyte offered an enhanced degree of interaction allowing the user to virtually restore or switch from one scenario to a related one. Interactive Virtual Reality applications were designed to be experienced by one user per time, even the CAVE allowed only one explorer even if accompanied by some partners. An inter- esting exploration of the potential field of application of IVR in education was devoted 1997 to particularly difficult scientific topic, the magnetic field, and its laws. Students had the chance to enter in this universe and observe the behaviour of an electri- cal particle thrown within a magnetic field having the additional option to tune all the key parameters and see the outcomes. In addition, we need to specify the meaning of immersion, does it mean emotionally involved, blurring reality with virtuality?