What Is XR, and Why Charles Wheatstone Got There First

Temple Bar - Stereoscopic photograph by Frank Mason Good, The Brian May Archive of Stereoscopy Collection

The science behind XR is older than you think. The 19th century wasn’t just steam engines – it was the birthplace of immersive vision.

Today, Extended Reality (XR), which includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR), is transforming how we interact with information. But the core principle hasn’t changed in nearly 200 years: tricking the brain into seeing depth using two slightly different views.

This is where Charles Wheatstone’s 1838 stereoscope comes back into focus. His work was the first scientific proof that depth perception could be artificially recreated. The concept is still in use today: your VR headset, your dual-lens smartphone, even cardboard viewers that split an image into two eyes' perspectives, they all follow Wheatstone’s lead.

Why does this matter? Because XR isn’t just a gimmick. It’s about engaging the brain at a perceptual level, creating experiences that feel real. That’s what makes XR so powerful for education, heritage, gaming, architecture, and healthcare.

When we look at immersive apps today, from museum walkthroughs to virtual makeup try-ons, we’re building on Victorian foundations. Wheatstone's work was ahead of its time not just scientifically, but philosophically, he believed that technology could change how we experience reality.

And with today’s mobile devices, we can finally bring that vision to everyone.

In our next post, we’ll bring things firmly into the present – showing how modern smartphone technology can now recreate accurate, immersive 3D models using techniques inspired by Wheatstone’s own.