Bob Stone
XR Pioneer since 1987, Human Factors, Industrial, Defence and Medical XR, Haptics

Bob Stone began his journey in the XR space in 1987 with a pioneering VR experience at NASA’s Ames Research Center, marking his entry as a significant figure in the virtual, augmented, and mixed reality space. His subsequent work on telerobotics and virtual interfaces at the UK’s National Advanced Robotics Research Centre further solidified his role in the early days of XR.

In 1993, Stone gained prominence in XR by establishing the world's first industrial VR team and launching a countrywide collaborative VR initiative that was completely industry-funded. He created the first VR keyhole surgical skills trainer, which became a European de facto trainer for almost a decade, and, notably invented Teletact, the world’s first haptic feedback glove, revolutionizing human-machine interactions in XR.

Today, Stone is actively involved with the UK’s Defence Medical Academy, focusing on VR and MR for military medic training. His extensive experience, ranging from Royal Navy trials to underwater missions, and his contributions to VR education and research, continue to shape the evolving landscape of XR technologies.

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A prototype headset for one of the first "Virtual Reality" displays ever built. Developed at the NASA-Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. The headset was developed to test concepts of presenting visual information to pilots or astronauts, by creating a computer-generated image of an artificial reality.