Apple Hires top Virtual Reality Expert Doug Bowman

He also served as the general chair of the IEEE Virtual Reality Conference in 2007-2008 according to his Virginia Tech bio.

Apple has hired Virginia Tech computer science professor Doug Bowman, who is considered a leading expert on virtual and augmented reality.

More importantly, and beyond the topic of VR headsets which dominated the Financial Times report, they noted Ben Wood stating that Mr. Bowman’s experience may also bolster Apple’s automotive plans. Though quite what it’s actually doing with the expertise remains somewhat of a mystery. His expertise lies in the design and benefits of 3D interfaces, the subject of a book he co-authored, and his research interests include VR and AR.

As the news of Apple’s VR & AR ambitions increases, it will be interesting to see how the company incorporates this new technology in its ecosystem. Maybe someday you’ll seeing the world through Apple-colored glasses. Virtual reality differs from augmented reality in that it takes the viewer into a completely virtual environment. By splitting the screen and displaying different images in front of each eye, apps can create stereoscopic virtual reality imagery. “Doug Bowman would be a valuable asset to any work being done in that area”.

Apple’s yet to enter the VR (virtual reality) market, but with a number of its rivals exploring the sector it would be no surprise if the Cupertino firm stepped into the arena – and a recent hire suggests it’s already making movements. Last year, for instance, it introduced the Apple Watch, and many reports indicate that it’s investigating a serious presence in the auto industry, too.