VPL DataSuit

VPL Research was founded by Jaron Lanier in 1984 in Redwood City, California. 'VPL' stood for 'Virtual Programming Languages' — a reference to Lanier's concept of 'post-symbolic communication,' the idea that body movement itself could become a programming language. The DataGlove (invented by Thomas Zimmerman) was the first step — a single-hand fiber-optic gesture input device. The DataSuit was the logical extension: if one hand could communicate with the machine, why not the whole body? Ann Lasko-Harvill joined as Chief Designer of Data Suits, bringing expertise in tailoring and ergonomics. She created suits sized for different body types — male and female anthropometrics — which was unusual attention to bodily diversity in 1980s tech hardware. The 1988 IEEE paper 'From DataGlove to DataSuit' by Blanchard, Harvill, and colleagues formally introduced the concept.

The interaction pipeline was: (1) Performer wears the DataSuit — a tight Lycra outfit with fiber-optic sensors at each major joint. (2) As the performer moves, joints bend, causing optical fibers to attenuate light proportionally. (3) 6502 microcontrollers digitize the analog bend signals from all 30+ sensors. (4) VPL's Body Electric visual programming language on a host workstation interprets the full-body posture data. (5) The Isaac rendering engine displays a real-time 3D avatar mirroring the performer's body in the virtual environment. (6) In the RB2 system, two performers in separate DataSuits could interact in the same virtual space — the first multi-user full-body VR experience. The experience was immersive in the original sense: you saw your virtual body move as your physical body moved, creating a powerful sense of presence despite the tether and the limited frame rate.

Brett Leonard's 1992 film The Lawnmower Man used the VPL DataSuit and EyePhone as key visual elements in its depiction of a gardener who enters a virtual world through a full-body VR rig. The film was a commercial success, grossing $32 million against a $10 million budget, and it introduced the concept of full-body immersive VR to mainstream audiences. While the film's depiction of VR as a consciousness-altering technology was science fiction, the hardware shown was real. For millions of viewers, the DataSuit was virtual reality — a sleek black bodysuit with cables, sensors, and the promise of total sensory immersion. This cultural visibility, combined with the DataGlove's licensing to Mattel for the Power Glove (1989), made VPL Research the public face of VR's first wave.