About: The still experimental 6-pound bubble-headed helmet has infrared sensors on top that detect which way the wearer’s head is moving. A projector in the back of the helmet displays corresponding images on a 16-inch screen right before the user’s eyes. Although the headgear looks bulky, it’s actually smaller than older versions of the same technology, Toshiba spokeswoman Kaori Hiraki said. But Toshiba has no plans yet to turn the helmet into a commercial virtual-reality product. Eventually, Toshiba believes, it will come in handy for computer games or enhancing the impact of movies.
Toshiba Bubble Helmet Specs and Info…
Device: Toshiba Bubble Helmet
Manufacturer: Toshiba Corporation
Announced Date: October 2006
Release Date: Never Released
Launch Price: Unknown
Device Type: Other
Display: 360-degree view on a 40cm dome-shaped screen
Diagonal Field of View(FOV): 120°
Refresh Rate: Unknown
Weight: 3000 g (6.61 lb)
CPU: N/A
GPU: N/A
Battery: N/A
Tracking: N/A
Controllers: N/A
Our Thoughts: Many people believe that this was some weird joke headset made to take the piss out of other virtual reality headsets of it’s time. Strangely the truth is even weirder! It’s called the Toshiba Bubble Helmet and it gives a 360-degree panorama view when watching movies or playing games. Coming in at 6-pounds in weight it is not the lightest HMD ever made but it offers something that no other HMD did, or probably ever will again.
At the end of the day, Toshiba is a giant electronics manufacturer and when they make something it is because they have a real vision of what it will go on to become. So what I put to you is that this was their way on combatting motion fatigue that plagued VR in its time! It was a truly immersive experience and the view was never blurred no matter where your eyes looked because it was already there! Sure it looks daft, but it wasn’t as much of a daft idea as most people think.
Sources used…
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-410642/One-giant-step-home-entertainment.html
- https://www.foxnews.com/story/virtual-reality-helmet-gives-360-degree-view