Whilst on work experience, Year 10 student Malachai Jacobs from the Bishop's Stortford High School wanted to delve deeper into the history of Virtual Reality, as this disruptive technology has deeper roots than one would initially think. Here we share his article:

Believe it or not, Virtual Reality (VR) has been around since 1968, when computer scientist Ivan Sutherland created the first head-mounted display. Many would hear the phrase “VR” and think of the hardware prevalent in 2016, such as the Oculus Rift or the Samsung Gear headset, but the head-mounted display (HMD) is in fact a piece of technology that has existed for nearly fifty years prior to its recent hype. In 2018, Gartner removed VR from its hype cycle, saying that it is “rapidly approaching a much more mature stage” and that it is no longer an emerging technology.

I was delighted to be invited to the launch of the new Discovery Centre (DISC) in Cambridge, UK where they shared their vision for the future of R&D and showed #WhatScienceCanDo.

Formula 1 racing started in 1950. Since then, motorsport has changed greatly with F1 often being referred to as a breeding ground for new technologies. Each year the continual technological advancements mean that the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are driving in faster, safer, and more efficient cars. Whilst on work experience J.P. Dunphy (Yr 11 student) from the Bishop's Stortford College explored the growing developments of F1 technology.