BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Envelop VR, an enterprise software company that is leading businesses and consumers to virtual reality, announced today that it has named Dr. Tom Furness as its Senior Scientific Advisor.

Dr. Tom Furness is a pioneer in human interface technology and is known as the “grandfather of virtual reality” due to his outstanding contribution to the advancement of the field. His research and development of new interfaces have laid the foundations for virtual reality as we know it today. A professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering with adjunct professorships in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Human Centered Design and Engineering at the University of Washington, Furness received the first-ever lifetime achievement award for his 50 year service to the virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) industries at last month’s Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, California.

"I have chosen to work with Envelop VR because they are developing the most essential component for the future of the VR industry,” said Furness. “It is the superglue that brings together and integrates all of the hardware, software and experience design components that make VR an empowering tool for mankind.”

Prior to joining the University of Washington faculty in 1989, Furness served 23 years working as a military scientist in the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air base, where he developed advanced cockpits and virtual interfaces for the Department of Defense. His research led him to the forefront of virtual reality with the development of the “Super Cockpit”, a wearable fighter cockpit that displays an interactive circumambience of 3D visual, sound and touch giving the pilot the necessary information to perform demanding in-flight tasks. This work is credited as some of the earliest in developing virtual and augmented reality.

Dr. Furness lectures widely and has appeared in many national and international science and technology documentaries and news programs. He holds numerous patents in advanced sensor, display and virtual interface technologies. In 1998, he won the Discover Award, an award many regard as the equivalent to winning an Oscar for Science and Engineering, for his invention of the virtual retinal display (VRD). The VRD scans images directly onto the retina of the eye and can help people who have some forms of blindness. He continues to be active in VR and AR development and application through his role as founder of the international family of Human Interface Technology Laboratories at the UW, New Zealand and Australia. He is also engaged in other projects associated with medical diagnostics, education and training and security.

“Tom is a true innovator in the field of virtual reality, and to have him want to be involved with what we are working towards here at Envelop VR is such incredible affirmation,” said Bob Berry, Envelop VR’s co-founder and CEO. “I have the highest regard for him and having access to his mindshare is an added bonus for our team moving forward.”

“Envelop VR is developing essential operating system components that allow everyone in the VR space to work together,” Furness continued. “I am excited to be a part of this enterprise, and have deep respect for the Envelop VR team which is one of the best assembled to work in this complex space."

About Envelop VR

Founded in 2014, Envelop VR is creating productivity and enterprise software that enables businesses and consumers to create, work and play in an immersive, 3D environment. Envelop VR is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur Bob Berry, who studied virtual reality in Japan in the late 90s, and chief technology officer Jon Mavor, who has spent the last two decades in the video game business developing advanced rendering technologies. Envelop VR is based in downtown Bellevue, WA. For more information go to www.envelopvr.com or email us at info@envelopvr.com.