Who is credited with popularizing the term 'virtual reality'?

Even though it still feels like something out of a sci-fi movie, virtual reality is actually quite old.

Some believe French playwright Antonin Artaud was the first to coin the term 'virtual reality.' In his 1938 work 'The Theater and Its Double,' Artaud described the theater as 'la réalité virtuelle': a reality that is both illusory and completely fictional [source: Artaud]. Later, in the 1950s, inventor Morton Helig worked to blur the boundary between illusion and reality with his invention, the Sensorama. This never-commercialized device featured a single-seat booth that incorporated wide-angle 3D visuals, stereo sound, realistic scents, a moving seat, and effects like wind to immerse users in experiences, like feeling as if they were riding a motorcycle.

Since then, the boundary between reality and virtual reality has continued to blur. While the Na'vi-human avatars from the 2009 film 'Avatar' and the holodeck from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' (1987) remain fantasy for now, many professionals are already using virtual reality to tackle real-world challenges. Doctors employ virtual reality to practice with laparoscopic surgical instruments. The military uses it to simulate war scenarios and train soldiers. Children frequently play virtual-reality games using systems like the Wii and Xbox Kinect. NASA operates its Mars rover, Curiosity, via virtual reality. And Google, the Internet giant, is expected to release 'Google Goggles,' an augmented-reality device, by late 2012.

Over time, a variety of terms, such as 'somatic cognition' and 'augmented reality,' have emerged to describe new virtual-reality technologies. However, it is the term 'virtual reality' (VR) that has endured. Which Time Magazine 100-Most-Influential-People honoree, collector of rare instruments, musician, composer, author, philosopher, and dreadlocked Jew made 'virtual reality' a household phrase — and could he truly be the most fascinating man in the world? Keep reading to find out!

Jaron Lanier, Renaissance Man and Big Thinker

While no one can definitively prove that Jaron Lanier is the most fascinating man in the world, this modern Renaissance figure would undoubtedly rank high on any list. In fact, in 2010, Time Magazine recognized him as one of the 100 most influential people of the year, acknowledging his pioneering work in virtual reality and the provocative ideas he presented in his book 'You Are Not a Gadget.'

Before becoming one of the most influential people on the globe, Lanier was simply a brilliant Jewish student at New Mexico State's math department. He saw mathematical language as both simple and beautiful and was determined to find a more intuitive way to communicate it. His solution was to develop a visual programming language that would make math easier to grasp. There was just one challenge: The computer screens of the time were too small to display the visualizations he imagined. In the 1980s, he and his colleagues created a virtual-reality headpiece and glove, enabling Lanier to manipulate virtual objects in cyberspace.

Lanier believed his new programming language would spark interest, but it was his cyber glove that truly captured the attention of investors. He began promoting the glove as a 'virtual reality' device, inadvertently creating a catchy term for an entire emerging industry. With his striking blue eyes and long, brown dreadlocks, Lanier quickly became the first cult figure of virtual reality.

At 51 years old, Lanier remains as provocative as ever. In his 2010 book 'You Are Not a Gadget' and in interviews with intellectual platforms like Edge.org, Lanier poses challenging questions about the economic impact of the Internet. He argues that the overwhelming amount of duplicate and chaotic information online benefits corporations like Google, while depriving content creators of the ability to profit from their own intellectual property. Perhaps 'virtual robbery' will be Lanier's next viral phrase!