LEEP Systems: Difference between revisions

|image=

|Industry=[[Virtual Reality]], [[Head-mounted display]]

|Founded=1991, [[Boston]], Massachusetts, United States

|Headquarters=Boston area, Massachusetts, United States

|Products=[[LEEP Optical System]]<br>[[Cyberface]]<br>[[Cyberface2]]<br>[[Cyberface3]]<br>[[Cyberface4]]<br>[[Virtual Orbiter]]

 

'''LEEP Systems, Inc.''' was an American [[technology]] company founded in 1991 by inventor [[Eric Howlett]] that specialized in the development and manufacture of [[virtual reality]] and [[telepresence]] systems. The company was primarily known for its LEEP optical system and the Cyberface line of [[head-mounted displays]] (HMDs), which were among the first commercially available virtual reality headsets and featured some of the widest fields of view in the industry at the time.

LEEP Systems had its origins in the earlier work of Eric Mayorga Howlett, who invented the Large Expanse, Extra Perspective (LEEP) optical system in 1979. <ref name="Howlett1">Carlson, Wayne (2005). "Description of LEEP optical system and its significance to VR". Ohio State University.</ref> Prior to founding LEEP Systems, Howlett operated a proprietorship called POP-OPTIX LABS from 1980 to 1990, which provided consulting services and manufactured custom optical and electronic devices.<ref name="Howlett2">Wikipedia. "Eric Howlett biography and career timeline".</ref>

The LEEP optical system was a breakthrough in wide-angle stereoscopic optics that created a convincing sense of depth and immersion through an extremely wide field of view. The original LEEP system was redesigned for NASA's Ames Research Center in 1985 for their first virtual reality installation, the VIEW (Virtual Interactive Environment Workstation) by Scott Fisher. :antCitation[]{citations="814ea80e-8541-4089-ac89-b3bc32eca910"}

After seeing the potential of his optical system in virtual reality applications, Howlett formally established LEEP Systems, Inc. in 1991 to market wide angle telepresence and virtual reality systems for research and for medical and military purposes. :antCitation[]{citations="d42dff49-3edf-4269-886a-451430ab34ff"} The company built upon the technology that had already been used by NASA and other organizations throughout the 1980s.

Before LEEP Systems was formally incorporated, Howlett had already begun developing VR hardware through his POP-OPTIX LABS business. In March 1989, with the release of the original LEEP Cyberface, Eric Howlett became the first to offer a commercial head-mounted display. :antCitation[]{citations="0ed97f37-183c-42e4-9f87-3398b4d39f84"} The original Cyberface technology was similar to that used in NASA's "VIEWS" (Virtual Interface Environment Work Station).

The company's innovation was grounded in Howlett's earlier work developing a wide-angle stereoscopic photography system. In 1978, he invented a system that corrected as much as possible the perspective distortions that may arise when expanding the field of view, allowing static images to be converted to 3D effects. :antCitation[]{citations="13cc0a10-956d-4df0-a59c-c794cb955087"} This invention received a patent in 1983 and became the foundation for LEEP's later virtual reality products.

Since 1985, NASA and VPL had been using the wide-angle LEEP viewing lenses in various head-mounted display projects. :antCitation[]{citations="0e600f34-6ef3-4675-bc6a-39992b1b1bbc"} In 1988, NASA and a sensory research group at MIT tasked Pop-Optix Labs with designing very wide-angle LEEP format lenses for video cameras, which made wide-angle telepresence possible.

The LEEP optical system became highly influential in the early VR industry, with numerous organizations adopting the technology. The LEEP viewing optics were used in theme park attractions and in almost all of the VR headsets sold in the 1980s.<ref name="Howlett3">Wikipedia. "Eric Howlett's LEEP technology adoption in the 1980s".</ref>

This optical system became the basis for most modern virtual reality headsets. By the late 1980s, the LEEP system provided the basis for most of the modern virtual reality headsets. :antCitation[]{citations="0a8fc790-289b-4293-bdf9-ad35daea56be"}

==== Original Cyberface ====

Released in March 1989, the original Cyberface was the first commercial head-mounted display from LEEP Systems. It utilized the LEEP optical system to provide a wide field of view and convincing sense of immersion.

==== Cyberface2 ====

Released in February 1991, the Cyberface2 was a significant advancement over the original model. The Cyberface2 was a general-purpose head-mounted display system that used two 4-inch diagonal high-resolution colour LCD video panels for extremely wide-angle stereoscopic Virtual Reality. :antCitation[]{citations="ee375528-6276-42b4-9eea-ce31c9ac7ef6"}

| Notable features || Included a counterbalance worn on the front of the body

The Cyberface2 was LEEP Systems' first complete colour system and the first LCD-based system to offer true RGB colour for enhanced colour crispness. :antCitation[]{citations="465edd80-22c9-4981-ac2e-10b8127505e6"} It offered an immersive experience that was unmatched by competitors at the time.

==== Cyberface3 ====

The Cyberface3 continued the evolution of LEEP's head-mounted display technology, with improvements to the resolution, picture quality, and overall usability of the system. It maintained the extremely wide field of view that was characteristic of LEEP products.

==== Cyberface4 and Virtual Orbiter ====

Created in 1996, the fourth incarnation of the Cyberface system, the Virtual Orbiter, convincingly delivered the effect of floating through space as an untethered spacewalker. :antCitation[]{citations="334bb44d-2cb9-4554-9956-cd8316285f41"} The Cyberface4 formed the nucleus of this device, offering higher resolution than its predecessor, the Cyberface3.

The LEEP optical system was revolutionary in its approach to wide-angle viewing. The combined system gave a very wide field of view stereoscopic image. The users of the system have been impressed by the sensation of depth in the scene and the corresponding realism. :antCitation[]{citations="8e1af561-ec66-449a-9614-03bf1483b8dd"}

* Wide field of view (up to 140° horizontal) that was unmatched by competitors

* Head tracking in some models

* Counterbalance systems to make the heavy headsets more comfortable to wear

The wide field of view achieved by LEEP optics remained influential for decades. Palmer Luckey's first Oculus prototype in 2011 adopted the LEEP lens design. :antCitation[]{citations="50aaeda8-217d-4199-b4cb-095d74060a51"} This connection shows the direct lineage from LEEP's early work to modern VR systems like the Oculus Rift.

After Eric Howlett's passing in December 2011, his son Alex Howlett continued working with LEEP technology, attempting to market it to the gaming community.<ref name="Howlett4">High Tech History. "Continuation of LEEP technology after Eric Howlett's passing".</ref>

<ref name="Howlett3">Wikipedia. "1980 to 1990 — Operated a proprietorship, POP-OPTIX LABS with revenue from consulting and manufacture of custom optical and electronic devices. The LEEP viewing optics were used in theme park attractions and almost all of the Virtual Reality Headsets (Head-Mounted Displays, or HMDs) sold in the 1980s." Eric Howlett article. Retrieved May 7, 2025.</ref>

<ref name="LeepVR">LeepVR website. "Eric Howlett created the LEEP Panoramic Stereo Photography system. He pursued careers in engineering, as a marketing executive and as an entrepreneur, founding several companies — all in the Boston technology milieu." About page. Retrieved May 7, 2025.</ref>

[[Category:Virtual reality companies]]

[[Category:Head-mounted displays]]