We have launched on Kickstarter! The Kickstarter project URL is as follows:
Thank you for joining us on this great adventure!
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Hollowhead’s VR Time Machine
Our Project
Help us give life to an amazing scientific journey, a fantastic voyage through space and time, an educational exploration of the history of life on Earth – from the very beginning of our planet’s creation right up until modern times. Help us build…a time machine.
The Idea. Hollowhead’s VR Time Machine is an educational virtual reality experience that empowers courageous time travelers to journey through various periods of Earth’s history. Think of it as a four-dimensional zoo, a living museum, or an interactive documentary. This VR experience gives the traditional three-dimensional virtual reality experience the addition of travel through time. It un-cages the animals and brings them to life, freeing you (and your students) to explore with them.
Prototype designed for the Oculus Rift:
A prototype version of this software for Windows can be downloaded for free here:
The prototype features the visual style and core mechanics of Hollowhead’s VR Time Machine for all Windows-based versions of the software. This prototype is a good example of what we hope to accomplish for the versions of the software which will be compatible with Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and HTC Vive.
Prototype designed for the Vive Focus:
We also offer another prototype version of the software, which is available for download at a cost of $1.00 from VivePort:
This particular version of the software was ported to VivePort for use on the Vive Focus. We include this link, and its corresponding images, as an example of what the Time Machine will tend to look like when ported to less powerful VR headsets.
VR Headset/Platform Deployment Plan. Hollowhead’s VR Time Machine will initially be designed for the Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Valve Index, Oculus Quest and headsets based on the Windows Mixed Reality platform (through SteamVR). This initial design will be completed and available for download by August 2020.
We will then deploy the application to Sony Playstation VR. Porting to Sony Playstation VR will likely take an additional 6 months, and will be completed, at the latest, by March 31st, 2021. At this time we cannot guarantee Sony Playstation will accept this concept and distribute this application on its store as the application must still go through Sony’s formal review process.
With respect to Quest we have not yet submitted this concept to Oculus for review to be included on the Oculus Quest store, but we will develop this application for deployment on the Quest headset and make it available for sideloading even if Oculus decides not to distribute this application on the Oculus Quest store.
The application will then be ported to Oculus Go, and porting will be completed, at the latest, by August, 31st, 2021.
It is our long-term goal to make this application as widely available as possible. With that in mind we plan to port variations of this application to Vive Cosmos, Vive Pro, Vive Focus, Vive Focus Plus, Google Cardboard, Google Daydream, and Samsung Gear VR. This process will take approximately one year, and will be completed by August 31st, 2022.
On devices such as the Vive Focus, Oculus Go, Google Cardboard, Google Daydream, and Samsung Gear VR, the limitations of the hardware will force us to drastically change the application’s gameplay, graphical style, and content, and on those devices the application will differ considerably from what we can accomplish on the more powerful devices and platforms.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1121160/Hollowheads_VR_Time_Machine/
Chapter 1 is set during the Hadeon eon, approximately 4 to 4.5 billion years ago. There is no life; the Earth’s temperature is extremely high; there is frequent volcanic activity and the earth is constantly bombarded by meteorites. The time traveler will discover that Earth is avast barren and hellish landscape.
Chapter 2 will bring you to the beginning of life on Earth, roughly 4 billion years ago. An unrecognizable era, characterized by a near oxygen-free landscape, that gave birth to the world as we know it. Diverse molecules transform and combine into the hallmarks of what we now call life. Witness the microscopic events that led to the first living organisms, a process we’ve yet to see again in our explored universe. Learn how some of these tiny species eventually changed the face of the planet by bathing Earth in oxygen, after evolving to harness the power of the sun through photosynthesis.
Chapter 3 explores the increasing complexity of life that began nearly 2 billion years ago. Early species became more than just bags of molecules, ‘eukaryotes’ evolved the capacity to segment their cells into distinct regions, or organelles. Explore the early lifeforms that exploited the abundant oxygen and transformed into the first multicellular organisms, built of individual cells completing different tasks. This era of drastic change has many competing theories that provide the foundation of evolutionary biology; investigate these ideas from a first-person perspective, like never before.
Chapter 4 takes the traveler back approximately 650 million years ago, when Earth became (nearly) entirely frozen. The time traveler will be able to explore the frozen landscape and inspect multiple points of interest that reveal evidence supporting the Snowball Earth theory.
In Chapter 5, the time traveler finds himself underwater and surrounded by life. Most of the major animal groups first appear in the fossil record during the Cambrian explosion, approximately 540 million years ago. The time traveler can discover life forms like: anomalocaris, waptia, hallucigenia, vauxia, wiwaxia, and pikaia.
Chapter 6 allows the time traveler to study the range of time when the first life on land appeared, focusing on early insects that arose between 430 and 300 million years ago. Chapter 6 excludes vertebrate land animals, instead focusing on life forms like charophytes, rhyniognatha hirsti, meganeura, and anthropleura.
Chapter 7 will be an exploration of the development of vertebrate land animals and their descendants prior to the Permian Extinction, from approximately 375 to 250 million years ago. Life forms in consideration for inclusion in this chapter are as follows: tiktaalik, hylonomus, amphibians; and later the scutosaurus, and the gorgonopsia.
Chapter 8 reveals the world during the Permian Extinction, approximately 250 million years ago. Roughly 7 in 10 land species, and 9 in 10 marine species vanished from the face of the earth. The time traveler will encounter groups of animals that did not survive this extinction event, such as the pelycosaurs and moschops, as well as the survivors like the synapsids (later the therapsids), and the archosaurs.
Chapter 9 takes the time traveler to return to the period known in the popular imagination as the Age of the Dinosaurs, 250 to 65 million years ago. Chapter 9 covers the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which fit within the Mesozoic Era. The time traveler can find over 20 different species of dinosaurs, and several species representing other groups of animals.
Chapter 10 focuses on the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event (formerly known as the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) extinction). The K-Pg extinction event was a sudden mass extinction of approximately 75% of the plant and animal species on Earth approximately 65 million years ago, believed to be caused by the impact of a 10 to 15 km wide asteroid. The time traveler visiting this chapter will watch from the ground, near the impact site, as the asteroid strikes the earth, and be able to observe its effects.
Chapter 11 will focus on the Paleocene & Eocene Epochs, from 66 to 34 million years ago. The time traveler will observe a variety of species of mammals and birds that survived Chapter 10’s Asteroid impact. These organisms eventually dominated the various ecological niches left vacant by the now extinct dinosaurs. Chapter 11 will prominently feature the rise of different groups of mammals, such as: Hyracotherium, Diacodexis, Plesiadapis, Aegyptopithecus, Barylambda, Arctocyonidae, Palaeomastodon, Condylarth, Coryphodon, Hyaenodontidae, Notoungulata, Pantolambda, Purgatorius, Buxolestes, Embrithopoda, Gustafsonia, Metacheiromys, and the Diacodexis.
The time traveler visiting Chapter 12 will encounter one of the many species of archaic humans, Homo erectus. The time traveler will observe a small family group of Homo erectusas they struggle against the environment hunting, foraging, and making and using complex tools..
Chapter 13 will allow the time traveler to observe prehistoric animals from the Pleistocene Epoch, 2.6 million to 12 thousand years ago. Species all over North America will be featured, including those found at the La Brea Tar Pits in present-day Los Angeles, California. The time traveler will encounter these species: Dire wolf (Canis dirus), Ancient bison (Bison antiquus), American camel (Camelops hesternus), Saber-toothed cat (Smilodon fatalis), Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus columbi), La Brea condor (Breagyps clarki) and the Woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) – our personal favorite.
Chapter 14 will feature the most interesting or popular animals from the present time. An emphasis will be given to endangered animals, those species most at risk for extinction, which may include the following: Amur Leopard, Gorillas, Sea turtles, Orangutan, Sumatran Elephant, Saola, Vaquita, Tiger, Rhinos, and the Pangolin
Jason Holloway, Co-Founder of Hollowhead, Inc., has been starting and managing education and training companies since graduating from the University of Northern Colorado in 2001 with a degree in Business Management. A life-long learner, Jason taught himself how to program software using books and online training courses delivered by Udacity, and Devslopes (a Kickstarter-funded project). After acquiring his first Oculus Rift approximately two years ago, Jason dove head-first into VR/AR software development and hasn’t looked back since.
David Holloway, Co-Founder of Hollowhead, Inc., is 25-year software industry veteran. He attended the University of California, Berkeley from 1991 to 1995, studying Computer Science and Chemistry, and received a Biochemistry degree from California State University, East Bay in 2004.
The two brothers co-own Nevada Technical Associates, Inc. (since 2010), which delivers live, classroom-based training on Radiation Safety in the workplace and other Health Physics topics.
Brian Graf, Programmer / IT Administrator. Day-to-day workload includes IT support for the office and developing mobile game applications on Unreal Engine for Android and iOS. Brian studied Theatre at Columbia College Chicago from 2004 to 2005, and is currently attending UNLV for a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. Brian is also fluent in American Sign Language.
Kelly Lim Holloway, Curriculum Development, Received her degree in Kinesiology, Exercise Nutrition and Wellness from California State University, East Bay in 2005. She is the Course Coordinator at Nevada Technical Associates and has over a decade’s worth of experience managing the development of curriculum for educational and workplace training courses.
Mailing Address of Company:
Hollowhead, Inc.
PO Box 93355
Las Vegas, NV 89193
Physical Address of Company:
Hollowhead, Inc.
12 Sunset Way, Suite B-202
Henderson, NV 89014
Phone Number:
702-848-4848
Fax Number:
702-558-7672
The supporters of this project who donate at the Patron level will receive a bust of their likeness, which will be displayed in the Hall of Patrons, an in-game, museum-like exhibit which will be included within the VR experience. You will need to submit two reference images, front and profile, similar to the examples below. You will then be able to choose the style of a bust. We offer jade marble, white marble, cracked marble, and brass.
Reference Images
Jade Marble
White Marble
Cracked Marble
Brass
Stretch Goal #1 – $50,000
Porting to Various Platforms
If we reach a funding goal of $50,000 we will spend an additional 6 to 12 months deploying the Time Machine to a variety of the more ubiquitous VR headsets and devices which may include the following: Sony PlayStation VR, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Go, Vive Focus, Google Daydream, and a handful of Google Cardboard compatible mobile phone models. Due to the hardware limitations of these particular VR devices, the Time Machine will need to be simplified in various ways depending on the platform, in some cases drastically, whether it’s in the form of less complex 3-D models, or the gameplay, or the way the A.I. works. Also, we may not be able to port our app to every device listed, but our ultimate aim is to port the Time Machine to as many devices as practically possible. We want the whole world to experience the joy of seeing long-extinct life forms like Dinosaurs and Saber-tooth tigers come to life before their eyes.
An attempt will be made to port the Time Machine to Oculus Quest, but inclusion within the Oculus Quest ecosystem of apps is not something we can guarantee.
Production time: approximately 6 to 12 months
ETC: 4th Quarter 2021.
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Stretch Goal #2 – $150,000.00
The History of Life on Earth – Volume 2 – Human Evolution
Volume 2 of the Time Machine will focus exclusively on the history of human evolution, featuring mostly hominids, until about 50,000 to 70,000 years ago. Branches of science/subcategories which will be examined: evolutionary biology, physical anthropology, primatology, archeology, paleontology, evolutionary psychology, and genetics.
An episodic journey through time visualizing key moments in human evolution. Key episodes may include Sahelanthropus tchadensis and Darwinius Massilae, the emergence of the Great Rift Valley, Homo sapiens leaving Africa, the Ice Age in Europe, Crossing of the Siberian Strait, agriculture, and domestication of animals. The Time Machine will also explore various theories of Human Evolution. The goal will be to bring to life, in virtual reality, as many of the following species as possible: Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecus anamensis, Australopithecus afarensis, Kenyanthropus platyops, Australopithecus africanus, Paranthropus aethiopicus, Paranthropus boisei, Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, Homo ergaster, Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo rhodesiensis, Homo neanderthalensis, Denisova hominin, Homo floresiensis, and Homo sapiens.
Production time: 24 months
ETC: 4th Quarter 2023.
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Stretch Goal #3 – $325,000.00
The History of Life on Earth – Volume 3 – Human History
Branches of science: Anthropology, Archaeology
Fields of study: History, Sociology, and Psychology
An episodic journey through time focusing on interesting or significant moments or events in recorded human history. In each episode the time traveler will be able to explore and experience a particular moment in time, which will be embedded within a larger historical context or idea.
The time traveler may sometimes see and experience historical figures in action, perhaps during moments of crisis, or the time traveler may have the opportunity to explore the lives of ordinary people and their interactions with the environment, as well as organizations and institutions.
We will pick 10 moments in history and allow the time traveler to explore and experience the general environment and the mix of people pertaining to that particular time and place in history. We will strive to highlight a variety of cultures and civilizations.
What follows below are examples, rough sketches, of the types of episodes we might produce for this volume, but we are not promising to produce any particular episode at this time.
Example Episode – 1 – The Role of the Merchant Marine in WWII
In WWII, the civilian seamen of the merchant marine suffered the highest kill ratio of all the services losing one of every 26 men who went to sea. Nazi Wolfpacks and U-Boats prowled the oceans sinking an average of 33 merchant ships a week. Come aboard the bridge of a merchant ship as she is stalked by a Nazi U-Boat in her desperate struggle to deliver some of the 380 million tons of cargo and supplies our troops needed to fight and win WWII.
Example Episode – 2 – Pre-Revolutionary War
The Time Machine will give you a seat at the table where, in the flickering light of a single candle, Colonists weary of British oppression whisper their plans to break from bondage, not knowing that a British patrol is about to kick in the door.
Example Episode – 3 – Battle of Naseby
Travel back to 1661, approximately one year after King Charles II was restored to the throne, to a quiet churchyard in an English village. Hear birdsong and children’s voices, maybe the distant sound of a horse’s hooves on an earthen track. As you pause to read the gravestones, you realize this is not the quiet idyll it seems. This is Naseby and about 15 years before your visit, in the house opposite, Cromwell’s men massacred Royalist soldiers then took their places at the dinner table. From the starting point of the church’s records, uncover one of England’s bloodiest moments in time
Example Episode – 4 – Eruption of Mount Tambora, Indonesia – 1815
Sit and eat breakfast with a British merchant in Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies. As he begins to tell you of his trade and his adventures, you hear explosions that sound as if a dreadful battle is taking place. But as the skies darken and ash begins to fall, you realize that this is the planet at its most terrifyingly powerful. No manmade disaster, the earth itself is erupting and as you revisit over the coming months and years, the cold chills your bones and the food you once shared is so scarce the people are dying.
Example Episode – 5 – Siege of Tenochtitlán
You are in Tenochtitlán. It is 1521 and the capital of the Aztec empire has been under siege for months. The ruler has died of a mysterious, disfiguring illness. The trade in slaves, foodstuffs, and gemstones that made the city so wealthy is bringing about its destruction, as Spanish forces seeking golden treasure are forcing the population to cede to their power. You are witnessing the downfall of a society both cruel and complex. As the Great Temple burns, both human sacrifice and architectural prowess are brought to an end. But what else can you find out about how the Aztecs lived?
Example Episode – 6 – Djoser’s Pyramid
Join Imhotep; the builder, physician, and scientist as he oversees construction of the step pyramid. Visit the court of the Pharoah Djoser as plans are laid for the oldest of Egypt’s pyramids. Move among the work crews as they level the base, cut and move the stones; and roll them up the ramps into the places they remain to this day. Be there for the birth of one of humanity’s engineering breakthroughs.
Example Episode – 7 – The Punic Wars
Be there for the turning point in the rise of Rome from city to Empire. You’ll start with the conflicts in Sicily; and range across two centuries and two continents. You’ll march with Hanibal over the Alps; seeing the legendary journey of Hanibal’s war elephants. You’ll share his frustration and defeat through the strategy of Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator. Then you’ll see first hand the rise of Rome and the final fall of Carthage as the Third Punic War comes to a close.
Example Episode – 8 – The Real King Arthur
Journey to Britain at the far edge of the Roman Empire. Follow the Roman retreat from Hadrian’s Wall to the wars of Boudica. Then, as the Romans withdraw; be there for the rise of Romano-Celtic warriors who history would turn into legends. See the arrival of the Saxon invaders, stand with Riothamus, King of the Britains, at the birth of the European medieval era.
Example Episode – 6 – Ride with the Mongols
The name of Genghis Khan still reverberates down the centuries. Now, you can join the horde of the most prolific conqueror of all; as his armies reach west into Europe and east into China, establishing kingdoms and dynasties that would last for centuries. But it’s not all war and fear. You’ll circle back to medieval Karakorum with its famous silver tree palace; to see the Mongol court flourishing with scholarship and religious debate.
Example Episode – 7 – West Meets East
From Mongolia, travel the Silk Road to see the connections between East and West prior to the European age of exploration. Then sail with Columbus, or meet him on the beach with the Taino people; to see first hand the early encounters between long-separated societies. You’ll feel the tragedy of the clash of civilizations and the horrifying destruction that still defines much of the modern world.
Example Episode – 8 – The Trial of King Charles
Travel to England, in the age of religious and civil war. You’ll be among the spectators at the treason trial of King Charles I of England, learning how religious intolerance, politics, and tax policy led England to the brink of destruction. You’ll be right there in the courtroom as, for the first time in the West, the principle that a ruler is subject to the law is laid down.
Example Episode – 9 – The Rights of Man and Citizen
Travel to the start of the French Revolution. You’ll see and hear first hand the origins of human rights as a political ideology; from the lofty days of the Legislative Assembly through the twists and turns that led to the Terror and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. Finally, you’ll ride with Napoleon, and even listen to Beethoven as we ask, was Napoleon a hero of the Revolution, or its gravedigger?
Example Episode – 10 – The War Nobody Wanted
The Great War reshaped the western landscape as nothing really had before. Go inside the frantic final days of diplomatic meetings; as one nation after another fell into the grip of war. You’ll be there on the streets as people embrace war fever, and in the trenches as enthusiasm for combat gives way to the horrid reality of the first truly modern war. Finally, you’ll go to the Versailles conference; to see how Woodrow Wilson’s plans for a stable peace were undercut; setting the stage for even bigger conflict to come.
Example Episode – 11 – The Holocaust
In a state that imagined itself civilized, in a modern era that hoped that barbarism was in the past; the most horrific tragedy in the history of humanity unfolded. Start on the streets, at the book burnings and speeches; to help understand how ordinary people could be drawn in to accept or participate in such monstrous evil. Then on to the Wansee Conference; to see for yourself the banality of evil. And finally, you’ll come face to face with the enormity of human suffering and the courage of those who resisted.
Example Episode – 12 – The Sinatra Doctrine
It’s 1989, the Iron Curtain has collapsed, and a new hope for a stable and peaceful world was born. You’ll be there as the Berlin Wall; the preeminent symbol of the Cold War, crashes down. You’ll celebrate freedom with the former Soviet states, and see first hand how China’s moment came and went. Finally, we’ll step back to see what happened to the promise of those years; and how we got to the world we live in today.
Example Episode – 13 – Harrie Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Tubman in 1887 (far left), with her husband Davis (seated, with cane), their adopted daughter Gertie (beside Tubman), Lee Cheney, John “Pop” Alexander, Walter Green, Blind “Aunty” Sarah Parker, and great-niece, Dora Stewart at Tubman’s home in Auburn, New York
Harriet paused and listened to the night sounds, hoping not to hear the footsteps of the slave catchers as she led her passengers through the moonlit forest. She gazed through the tree branches, up towards the night sky, looking for the Big Dipper, the sign that would lead the way north to the next hideout, and the way to freedom. She had taken this journey before and she intended to take it again to lead as many to freedom as she could.
Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849 to become a “conductor” in the Underground Railroad. Also a nurse, a spy, and a supporter of women’s suffrage, Tubman personally led at least 70 slaves to freedom and assisted many others. During the Civil War, she provided crucial support to the Union Army as a spy and a nurse, and she continued to fight slavery. In 2016, the US Treasury announced that her image will appear on the twenty-dollar bill, replacing that of former President Andrew Jackson, although production of the new bill has been delayed.
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Production time for Volume 3: 12 months
ETC: 4th Quarter 2024
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Stretch Goal #4 – $375,000.00
Women in History
This addition to the Time Machine will focus exclusively on women who’ve changed the world. This is a topic which has been sorely neglected, and if we receive the funding it will be the first topic-specific add-on to Volume 3.
Production time 6 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2025
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Stretch Goal #5 – $450,000.00
Pivotal Moments in U.S. History
This addition to the time machine will focus on 5 pivotal moments in U.S. history, and be designed to meet U.S. curriculum requirements related to U.S. history.
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2026
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Stretch Goal #6 – $500,000.00
Geological Adventures – The History of Earth’s Geology
A guided tour which will include the formation of solar system, the formation of the Moon, the Earth, plate tectonics, and volcanism, with some discussion on how Earth’s geology shaped the history of life on Earth, and how life shaped Earth’s geology.
Branches of science: Geology
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2027
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Stretch Goal #7 – $550,000.00
The Evolution of Plants – a Guided tour
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2028
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Stretch Goal #8 – $600,000.00
The Evolution of Land Animals – a Guided tour
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2029
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Stretch Goal #9 – $650,000.00
The Evolution of Birds – a Guided tour
Production time 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2030
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Stretch Goal #10 – $700,000.00
VR Fossil Dig
Help search for fossils at VR site using the same tools and techniques as a Paleontologist. Will also cover notable discoveries throughout the history of Paleontology.
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2031
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Stretch Goal #11 – $750,000.00
The History of Science, and the Scientific Method.
This add-on will explain the history of science, the scientific method, and how to think logically. It will be loosely based on Carl Sagan’s book The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2032
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Stretch Goal #12 – $800,000.00
A brief overview of the universe before the formation of the solar system.
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2033
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Stretch Goal #13 – $850,000.00
The Science of Global Warming
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2034
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Stretch Goal #14 – $950,000.00
The Future
An exploration of environmental and global warming simulations. The time traveler to the future will also be able to explore the consequences of habitat loss and its impact on a few of the world’s most endangered species.
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2035
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Stretch Goal #15 – $1,00,000.00
Exploration of Coral Reefs
Before and after examination of the destruction of coral reefs.
Production time: 12 months
ETC: 2nd Quarter 2036
Reference List
Protoplanetary disc image included in video: ESO/L. CALÇADA
Bust model reference: Senshistock
deviantart.com/senshistock/art/Free-3D-Model-Reference-Pack-M-Extras-138905535
