The reality of writing a book is formidable. Virtual Reality was no exception. Quite a few people contributed to this project in one form or another.
First, I’d like to thank MIT Press executive editor Marie Lufkin Lee, who approached me about writing another book for the Essential Knowledge series. We kicked around several ideas before deciding that extended reality warranted attention. I never regretted the decision, even when I was up to my eyeballs in research about complex technical concepts and sinking under the weight of detailed interviews with experts.
I’d also like to thank several people who aided in developing content for this book. Accenture managing director Peter Soh and media relations specialist Hannah Unkefer extended an invitation to an Accenture showcase in February 2018. It highlighted leading-edge virtual-, augmented-, and mixed-reality systems and apps. They also provided access to several Accenture subject matter experts at the firm, including Marc Carrel-Billiard, Emmanuel Viale, Mary Hamilton, and Jason Welsh. These subject matter experts provided key ideas and concepts that helped frame the direction of the book.
I’m also deeply grateful to Albert “Skip” Rizzo at the University of Southern California, who offered valuable insights into psychology, physiology, and the effects virtual reality has on humans, and Jeremy Bailenson at Stanford University, a thought leader in the field of virtual reality who provided key guidance about the topic. Thanks also to Jake Rubin, founder and CEO of HaptX, a company on the leading edge of VR systems development.
Of course, a book can’t take shape without editors. I’d like to tip my cap to Stephanie Cohen at MIT Press, who shepherded the project through to completion. She was extremely easy to work with and always available to answer questions or deal with issues. I’d also like to acknowledge the diligence of Michael Sims at MIT Press, who caught numerous minor errors and typos while proofreading the manuscript. And thanks, too, to the four anonymous reviewers who provided valuable feedback about concepts and spotted a few omissions and errors along the way. Their comments and suggestions ultimately led to a much better book.
I’d also like to thank my partner, Patricia Hampel Valles, for enduring ongoing discussions about virtual and augmented reality—and for providing thoughts about key ideas and concepts that appear in the book. Finally, a shout out to my sons, Evan and Alec, who are emerging as smart young men. Both are now attending university and learning that knowledge is far more than the sum of YouTube videos and Wikipedia entries.