Bob Ladrach
Notable Firsts
Over the years, I've done some things I think are worthy of recognition.
First Spanish language instruction using a speech synthesizer, 1980
I programmed the speech module of a Commodore 64 to work as a Spanish language course by having the English speaking synthesizer use phonetic approximation to teach and speak Spanish. For example: “Hola, me llamo Miguel” is written “O la, may yamo me gell.” This sound sample is from the synthesizer.
First full-motion video interactive video game, Space Quest - 1984
Arcade games back then were almost all 2-D graphics. There was only one other video game that used full motion video called Dragon’s Lair. It was animated and used a laser disc player for the video sequences. My game, Space Quest, used a Betamax video player controlled by a BCD controller in an Apple II+. The story was about a trip to a space station that had to be put into a higher orbit. The game featured a moving seat, fan, and effects lights as well.
I combined a haunted house with D&D type characters. I wanted to give the visitors something to do as they go through the attraction. Each room had a particular goal before you would be allowed to move on. While the concept never moved beyond a document, I believe it is the first of its kind. More details in this link.
First VR sword fighting game, 1993
Virtual Knight was a game where you could walk around a 10’ area and fight a knight who would look at you and swing if you got too close. Head mounted displays back then started at $5,000 and went up. I made my own with Radio Shack LCD TVs, Red Baron ultrasonic 6 DOF tracker, and a modified Power Glove as a sword tracker. Normally you would put the sensors on the TV, I put them on a vest and inverted the controller so it was pointing at your chest.
First VR Gameroom in North Carolina - Garner 2000
The Beta Zone opened in 2000 in Garner, NC. It featured a really cool interior like a spaceship, and contained around 8 VR games. We hosted parties and group events.
First VR Gameroom in South Carolina, 2001
We took over the 2nd floor of Broadway Louie’s, Myrtle Beach. We had 5 VR games and a new video bowling system with 6 lanes. I was on my way to deliver a new game with my young son when the World Trade Center was attacked on 9/11.
First use of a digital gyro to track a VR Head Mounted Display, 2002
I ordered one and taped it to a baseball cap for testing and controlling an FPS game. We contacted them and they sent us their new 1” cube gyro and we built the first prototype Trimersion with it. By the time the Trimersion was ready for manufacturing, the gyro cube had been reduced to ⅓ of its original size. I added a reset button where the player could reset the tracker if it drifted.
The Trimersion featured the first use of a digital gyro. Now all Android based VR systems have them.
Quick Tutorial on Smartphone motion tracking.
There are 3 main ways to track the angle and motion of a smartphone: Accelerometers, Digital Compasses, and Digital Gyros. Accelerometers measure the initial start of a motion and they give very accurate direction and initial speed, but they’re not great for rotation or long slow movements. Digital Compasses work by referencing digital North. While this sounds like a great way to obtain a heading, it takes time. Digital Gyros are great at rotation but because they have no fixed point of reference, they drift over time. Today, these challenges are overcome by combining all three technologies on a single chip and then taking an average data reading for the motion of the device. Digital Gyros are common now, but back then they were mostly used to control missiles and the units were fairly large.
Gyration Inc. came up with a miniaturized gyro in their “Air Mouse”.
First use of Kopin’s Binocular Display Module (BDM), 2004
Early head mounted displays had separate circuit boards to drive each eye and a separate board for the audio. I was worked with Kopin to design an all-in-one solution. They told me it would be $5 million to build it if I wanted to retain the rights. I couldn’t afford that so I agreed I would help with the specs and they would use the component in other products.
The BDM module is improperly marked on the Trimersion box. It incorrectly says QVGA, but when it went to manufacturing, Kopin included their new full VGA BDM.
“I am very pleased we have the first design-in for our BDM. 3001 AD has chosen BDM-230K for its high image quality and easy-to-use features. I expect our BDM will have many design-ins going forward for various applications,” said Alan Richard, Kopin’s Director of Display Marketing. https://www.gamezone.com/originals/virtual-reality-coming-to-xbox/
Afterwards, the BDM became very popular with Chinese manufactures and millions of “video glasses” were sold that featured the same BDM component as the Trimersion.
First VR HMD for Console Games and
First Wireless Commercial VR HMD, (2002 - 2007)
Did an HMD exist for the Playstation before PSVR? Sure! The Trimersion. It could also run on Xbox, Gamecube, and PC. The video and audio were transmitted from the “Base Station” to the HMD.
A used Trimersion became a favorite resource for RC Drone pilots. The Trimersion’s internals have been fully reverse engineered and documented on several websites. The purpose was to use the video and audio transmitter to send video from a drone to the HMD.
First Wireless VR Gun controller for consoles and PC (2002 - 2007)
The Trimersion gun controller appeared as a mouse and keyboard through the USB connector and as a gamepad for a console. The gun featured left and right mouse clicks with the two triggers (modeled after my son’s paintball gun), flippable movement joysticks for left-handers, and programmable buttons. The button clicks were sent wirelessly to the base station.