Professor Robert Stone BSc (Hons) MSc FCIEHF CPsychol AFBPsS FIoN

• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (FCIEHF), 2003
• Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (AFBPsS), 1989
• Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol), 1989
• MSc (Ergonomics), UCL 1981
• BSc (Hons) Psychology, UCL 1979

From 1980 to 1989 Bob was involved in defence human factors research, later in the role of group leader at British Aerospace’s Sowerby Research Centre in Bristol, UK.  In 1989, Bob left BAE to join the UK’s National Advanced Robotics Research Centre in Salford, supported by the DTI and a range of industrial shareholders.  There he formed a team of human factors and software specialists in order to develop VR technologies for sophisticated mobile and manipulative robots, including the Teletact I and II Gloves - the world’s first tactile feedback glove systems for VR and telepresence applications.  After a successful 3 years of R&D, the Robotics Centre became commercial (Intelligent Systems Solutions Limited) and, following an appearance on the BBC’s 9 O’Clock News in January, 1993, he brought together (initially) 12 companies to fund the world’s first industrial collaborative project addressing the commercial uses of VR.  VR Solutions was launched as a company in its own right in October, 1995.

During his time in industry, Bob undertook research into the rôle of human factors/ergonomics in the implementation of VR, with regular contributions to VR applications projects in the fields of defence, surgery, heritage, engineering and health and safety aspects of VR.  He was the Research Director of the UK Human Factors Integration Defence Technology Centre for over 6 years (during its existence between 2003 and 2012), and it is from within this Centre that many of his team’s projects originate, covering human-centred design and evaluation methodologies for applications as varied as close-range weapons training and support for surgical and mental health therapies, submarine safety awareness, IED search and disposal training and unmanned systems operation, including the use of low-cost drones for remote sensor data visualisation.

His early medical research led to the development of a world-first laparoscopic cholecystectomy basic surgical skills simulator, MISTVR.  MISTVR was marketed for over 10 years by Mentice of Sweden and was adopted by the European Surgical Institute (Norderstedt, Germany) in 1998 as a de facto training technology for keyhole surgery training.  Today, he works closely with the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine and a number of hospital trusts, researching the use of VR for post-operative restoration and rehabilitation programmes for military and civilian patients in Intensive Care and a unique Mixed Reality solution for the training of future defence medics deployed as part of Medical Emergency Response Teams.

In 2011, Bob was awarded the MoD Chief Scientific Advisor’s Commendation for his contributions to Defence Science & Technology, the highest award given to an individual by that Governmental Department.  In July 2017, Bob and his University team were awarded the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovative Team of the Year Award, in recognition of their achievements in VR for healthcare applications.  In 2019, the team was awarded the “Innovation in Medicine and Health” Award at the Inaugural West Midlands Tech Awards, and in 2020 the Innovation Award from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors for Mixed Reality research in defence medicine.

Research interests

• Digital and Virtual Heritage
• Human Factors and Simulation-/VR-Based Training
• Virtual Scenes of Nature for Cognitive Restoration and Physical Rehabilitation
• Mixed Reality Techniques for Defence Training

Current projects

• Mixed Reality for Battlefield Advanced Trauma Life Support Training
• Various Informal Projects Investigating “Healthcare from Virtual Heritage”

HIT Team STEM and Public Engagement Events Featuring XR Projects, including Drone Work, 3D Scanning and 360^o Video Experiences  (2006 – 2024)

Professor Bob Stone has been pioneering Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for applications in defence, healthcare, engineering and education since 1987.  From a public engagement, STEM and Outreach perspective, his major contributions have, in the main, been undertaken on a voluntary basis, focusing on demonstrating the value of VR to the general public, mainstream and special needs schools, special interest groups, and, most recently, hospices, care homes and hospitals.

Although Professor Stone’s public engagement story within the context of his career in Virtual Reality began in the early 1990s, courtesy of his prestigious appointment, over two years, as the Institute of Electrical Engineers’ (IEE, today IET) Silvanus P Thompson Lecturer (followed later by the Institute’s 1996 and 1997 Christmas Lectures, and the1998 IEE Faraday Lecture), it was not until 2006 that his public engagement activities really took centre stage.  At that time, whilst collaborating with the National Marine Aquarium (NMA) in Plymouth, he and his team set about developing an educational VR package based on the resting place of the ex-Royal Navy Frigate HMS Scylla, scuppered in 2004 to become an artificial reef.  This project involved a number of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) dives on the wreck which, with additional collaboration with the Marine Biological Laboratory, enabled the team to enhance the virtual scene with an "Artificial Life" simulation of one of the ship's ecosystems.  The results of the project were successfully presented at both public and school STEM/Outreach events.  Following the success of the Virtual Scylla project and the collaboration with the NMA, Bob and his team began to look into how natural environments, from the sea to rural and moorland areas could provide a focus for VR activities, engaging with the public to support educational and healthcare activities, especially for those unable to visit the UK’s coasts and moorlands.  Whilst conducting site surveys for these projects, frequent engagement with local inhabitants highlighted historical stories and events that were known to just a few in the region, but cried out to be represented in a way that made them accessible to all – using VR to “make the invisible visible”.

In just one of many examples, Bob and his team undertook a reconstruction, using VR, of a small GWR Halt on Dartmoor in 2014, and the subsequent demonstration of the results at the Burrator Reservoir Visitors’ Centre and at rural village public events led to nearly two decades of (mostly voluntary) activities, capturing, preserving and reconstructing sites and artefacts of regional historical interest.  Central to these activities has been, and continues to be, close engagement with members of the public, many of whom provided stories and imagery which became essential in the development of the VR scenarios. 

One appropriate example, which ultimately introduced many members of the public and schoolchildren to the power of VR and related advanced technologies, came about after an attendee at one of Bob’s rural presentations sent him a grainy photograph of Burrator Reservoir in the 1940s.  Unidentifiable structures on the surface prompted the execution, using a drone and autonomous surface vessel, equipped with a high-resolution multibeam sonar, of a survey of Burrator Reservoir, the results of which, when converted for real-time 3D visualisation using VR and followed up with extensive research and underwater (ROV) explorations, exposed the incredibly well-preserved remains of World War II anti-torpedo nets, the existence of which were unknown to almost everybody in the region.  This secured considerable interest from groups on and around Dartmoor and, indeed further abroad.

It was the effective use of early drone technology that enabled Bob and his team to capture the remains of King Charles II’s 17^th Century ship, the Anne, exposed on Pett Level Beach near Hastings.  Visualising the ship in 3D via the drone’s camera using Augmented reality – the first ever example of this – was presented to the local Village Beach Club and then at other maritime events, leading to the most challenging project the team has ever been involved with – the recreation, again using VR, of Plymouth’s Barbican Harbour, together with the Mayflower, as it may have looked in 1620.  The results of this totally voluntary project were delivered to the Plymouth public during the 400^th anniversary of the Mayflower’s departure, and an additional special event was staged for 50 Plymouth residents to explore the virtual harbour and ship using the latest VR headsets and became the first to try a new miniature olfactory display, kindly loaned to us for the occasion by the US company OVR technology.

Most recently, Bob and his team have been using and demonstrating similar real-world capture technologies (including 360^o Video and 3D (LIDAR) scanning), delivering the results to predominantly rural communities and special interest public groups.  Many of these experiences relate to heritage on a given community’s “doorstep”, which can no longer be visited by the public, or are inaccessible to the elderly and disabled. such as Kitley Show Caves in Yealmpton, Devon, the Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre, the Cold War submarine HMS Courageous owned by the Devonport Naval Heritage Centre (the Virtual “Tour” is featured in their 2024-25 Devonport 200 celebrations) and the Russian Foxtrot submarine moored in the River Medway, to mention but four examples.  These examples also feature in his visits to Care Homes and Hospices, where, even today, he is active in the staging of VR events, using VR tech to “immerse” residents into experiences he and his team have generated over the past  including numerous heritage steam train excursions, drone flights, a Spitfire flight over South Devon, a paddle steamer and Blackpool tram excursion, zipwire experiences over the Eden Project and many rural and coastal scenes for relaxation.  Indeed, one of the most popular “360” experiences is actually a VR mountain scene, originally developed by one of Bob’s students for palliative care, but today, courtesy of a narrative kindly provided by Sir David Attenborough, is used at public events and care homes/hospices for relaxation purposes.  As the scene changes from day into night and back again, Sir David instructs the user to think about what they are viewing and encourages them to engage in controlled breathing to relax.

Bob’s STEM and Outreach project list since 2006 is extensive (and available on request); please see the video records of his projects.

Events and locations

National Marine Aquarium (Virtual Scylla Project Public Presentation and Demonstrations) (December 2006) National Marine Aquarium (Virtual Scylla and Artificial Life Children’s Event with Talk and Demonstrations) (March 2008) Wembury Village Hall (VR Experiences; Dec 2012) Burrator Discovery Centre Launch Event VR Experiences; (July 2014) Wheal Martyn (Public presentation of Site Drone Visitors’ Package Nov 2014) The Virtual Anne Project (Pett Level Beach Club VR and drone project demos) (December 2014) Sheepstor Church VR Public Event with demos (Jan 2015) Dartmouth Maritime Event public VR presentation and demos (June 2015) Dartmouth Academy VR event for schoolchildren (June 2015) All About the Anne Event, Hastings (VR project public demo) (July 2015) West Midlands Police History Society (VR Presentation and Demos; July 2015) RAF Harrowbeer 1940s Event (VR and AR Experiences; Aug 2015) Mayflower Trail Towns Meeting, Dartmouth (VR Presentation and Experiences; Nov 2015) Burrator Discovery Centre Public VR Event (Feb 2016) Blaenrhondda Social Club (VR and drones event for local teen group) (March 2016) Devonshire Association Public VR Event (Sept 2016) Tamar/Tavy Civil Service Retirement Fellowship (VR Presentation and Experiences; Jan 2017) St Matthew’s Academy, Plymouth (VR Experiences; March 2017) Devon County Show – collaboration with the BBC (VR Demos; May 2017) Devonport Naval Heritage Centre Public VR Event (Jun 2017) University of Birmingham STEM Event (VR Presentation; Oct 2017) Bristol Landscapes Event (VR public demos) (Feb 2018) Worcester Innovation (VR Demos; WINN; May 2018) Saltash Brownies and Guides VR Demo Event – Presentation of First Ever Brownies and Guides’ VR Badges (Sept 2017 and April 2018) Pengelly Caves STEM Event, Buckfastleigh (VR, Drones and 3D Scanning; July 2018) St George’s CofE Primary Academy, Plymouth (VR Experiences; July 2018) Bengal Cubs (1st Shirley Scout Group) VR Demo Event – Presentation of First Ever Cubs’ VR Badges (July 2018) Torquay/Torbay Hospital (VR Experiences; Aug 2018) Heroes at Highclere (MR Defence Medical Demo; Sept 2018) Wythenshawe Hospital (VR Experiences; Sept 2018) New Scientist Live – XR presentation with Prof Nick Colosimo (BAE Systems) (Sept 2018) Timberley Academy (VR Experiences; Jan 2019) Meavy Village Hall VR Presentation and Demos (Feb 2019) Redmaid’s School, Bristol (VR Experiences; May 2019) All Saints Secondary School, Plymouth (VR Experiences; July 2019) City College, Plymouth (VR Experiences; July 2019) St Peter’s CofE Primary School, Plymouth (VR Experiences; July 2019) National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth (VR Experiences; July 2019) Eggbuckland Community College, Plymouth (VR Experiences; Oct 2019) Hele’s School, Plymouth (VR Experiences; Oct 2019) Lipton Vale Junior School Plymouth (VR Experiences; Oct 2019) Droitwich Spa Mayflower 400 Launch (VR Experiences; Nov 2019) Devonport Naval Heritage Centre Public VR Event (Nov 2019)

Royal Institute of Great Britain STEM Event (UoB; Jan 2020) MediFest, Plymouth Guildhall – MR Demos for Schoolchildren (Jan 2020) Plymouth Area Rotary Clubs’ First Combined Meeting (Online) – the Virtual Mayflower Project (Oct 2020) Virtual Mayflower – Plymothians’ Experience, Mayflower Museum (July, 2021) Virtual Mayflower – Barbican West Quay Large Screen Projection and Public VR Demo (September, 2021) Plympton Rotary Club Online Presentation (17 March, 2022) STEM Celebration Day Bishop Challoner Catholic School in Birmingham VR Experiences; (27 June, 2022) National Marine Aquarium, National Marine Park Weekend (VR Experiences; 01 to 03 April, 2022) Space Camp Cornwall, Truro and Menwith College (VR Presentation and Experiences; July, 2022) Westlands First and Westacre Middle Schools, Droitwich Spa (Willow Court VR heritage project demos; 09 September, 2022) Westlands Community Centre, Droitwich Spa (VR Experiences; Willow Court Heritage Open Day; 10 September, 2022) Plymouth Rotary Club (Roborough) Online Presentation (27 September, 2022) Bailiffgate Museum Personnel (Virtual Heritage Summary and Results of Northumberland Hall Scan – 17 October, 2022) Yealmpton Community Centre (Kitley Caves Event – 21 October, 2022) Primrose Hospice, Bromsgrove (VR Experiences – 10 February, 2023) Acorns Children’s Hospice (VR Experiences – 30 August, 2023) Plym Valley Heritage Association (Talk and VR Demos – 21 September, 2023) Primrose Hospice, Bromsgrove (VR Experiences – 19 October, 2023) The Meadows Care Home, Bromsgrove (VR Experiences – 25 October, 2023) Yelverton Care Home (VR Experiences – 22 November, 2023) Acorns Children’s Hospice (VR Experiences; Selly Oak – 13 February, 2024) City College Plymouth (Virtual Heritage Lecture and Demos – 27 February, 2024) Acorns Children’s Hospice (VR Experiences; Walsall – 04 April, 2024) Global Rotary Club Presentation (14 May, 2024) Primrose Hospice Teens Group (VR Experiences; Bromsgrove, 16 May, 2024) Primrose Hospice Men’s Group (VR Experiences; Bromsgrove, 27 June, 2024) “This is Me” Festival (VR Experiences; Ripon, 30 June, 2024) Acorns Children’s Hospice (VR Experiences; Combined Event, Gloucestershire, 02 July 2024) Yelverton Care Home (VR Experiences; 31 July 2024) Primrose Hospice Dedicated VR Room Setup (08 August 2024) Acorns Children’s Hospice “Mums’ Day” (VR Experiences;  13 November 2024) Droitwich Spa Edward Winslow Day (VR Experiences; 28 November 2024) “Light Up a Life” Event (VR Experiences; Acorns’ Children’s Hospice Birmingham; 03 December 2024) Health and Wellbeing Day; The Hub, Droitwich Spa (VR Relaxation Experiences – 22 Feb 2025) Crediton Folklore Museum; Railway Heritage Archive Launch (VR Heritage Rail Demos - 22 March 2025)

Event images