What do The Sword of Damocles, Morton Heilig’s Sensorama,
and the 18th century apparatus La Nature à Coup d’Ril
all have in common?
They were in fact all early attempts at simulating an artificial
reality. The present day equivalents to these inventions are termed
“virtual reality” (VR), “augmented reality”
(AR), mixed reality (MR), or, more broadly, “extended
reality” (XR) devices and now utilise cutting-edge
technology.
The concept itself, however, is by no means new. One of the
earliest inventions in this field was patented by artist Robert
Barker in 1787.
La Nature à Coup d’Ril, later termed ‘The
Panorama’, comprised a large landscape image painted onto a
long canvas strip which was then displayed inside a circular
building. The intention being that the observers would stand in an
enclosure in the centre of the building and view the painting as if
it were a real panorama as seen from a high viewpoint.
Barker’s patent even goes on to describe the
