Liquid Image

Liquid Image Corporation was a Canadian technology company founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1992 by Tony Havelka, David Collette, and Shannon O'Brien. It emerged during the early commercial interest in virtual reality, when head-mounted displays were being investigated for military training, scientific visualization, entertainment, and computer-mediated simulation. The company was initially financed by local angel investors and operated from an attic office at Havelka's home. The company's principal business was the design and manufacture of head-mounted display systems. Its first major product, the MRG2, was a monocular display using a 5.7-inch colour TFT-LCD. Rather than attempting to create a fully enclosed stereoscopic headset, Liquid Image emphasized a lighter, universal-fit monocular design informed by ergonomic research on head sizes conducted with the University of Manitoba. The MRG2 reached commercial customers at a price of approximately US$6,800 per unit and reportedly generated more than $1.1 million in sales within its first 15 months. The product received a 1994 Mecklermedia Virtual Reality award and attracted attention from virtual-reality pioneers and technology demonstrators. Liquid Image subsequently expanded the MRG family. The MRG2.2 offered a lower price, while the MRG3 and MRG3C provided upgraded display performance. The MRG4 represented a new design aimed at companies building virtual-reality game systems. The company also worked with a Vancouver graphics-engine company on an immersive multiplayer game platform, using a contemporary PC game as part of the planned experience. Liquid Image displays appeared in themed entertainment, including Disney World installations, and in media productions such as Aerosmith's music video for "Amazing" and the low-budget film "Evolver." As the consumer virtual-reality market weakened during the middle of the 1990s, Liquid Image broadened its commercial focus. It explored tourism, military training, astronaut training, scientific research, rapid prototyping, and wearable computers. The company concluded that integrated immersive virtual reality was unlikely to become a sustainable mass consumer product in the near term, but identified military and scientific applications and wearable computing as more durable opportunities. This led to development of the Liquid Glass line and to products intended for portable-computing applications. The MRG5, introduced in 1996, was the company's first design using two LCD displays, although it was not commercially launched. In 1997 Liquid Image introduced the MRG6 monocular system for wearable computing and later released the M1 monocle, described as an award-winning product. These products placed the company among the early commercial suppliers of wearable display hardware, a field that later gained wider public visibility through products such as Google Glass, although Liquid Image was not the maker of that product. The transition to wearable computing was not fast enough to offset the collapse in demand for virtual-reality game systems. By 1997 the original company had been sold and rebranded as TekGear. Under the new identity, the business operated primarily as a reseller of virtual-reality and wearable-computing technology. Collette and O'Brien had departed before the transition, while Havelka continued to manage and develop TekGear. Liquid Image therefore survives primarily as an early Canadian virtual-reality and wearable-display brand rather than as an active independent manufacturer.

Liquid Image was established in Winnipeg in 1992 by Tony Havelka, David Collette, and Shannon O'Brien. The founders responded to growing interest in virtual reality and secured support from local angel investors. Its first office was located in the attic of Havelka's home, reflecting the company's early-stage, locally financed origins. The company concentrated on head-mounted displays for military, scientific, and entertainment use. Its first principal product, the MRG2, was a monocular headset equipped with a 5.7-inch colour TFT-LCD. Liquid Image conducted ergonomic research concerning head sizes with the University of Manitoba and used that work to develop a universal-fit design. The MRG2 reached customers at a price of about US$6,800 and reportedly exceeded $1.1 million in sales during its first 15 months. In 1994 it received a Mecklermedia Virtual Reality award. The product was also used in demonstrations and entertainment installations, including Disney World, and appeared in the Aerosmith music video "Amazing" and the film "Evolver." Liquid Image developed several related display systems. The MRG2.2 was a lower-priced iteration available by 1996. The MRG3 and MRG3C retained the general MRG2 form while improving display resolution, and the MRG4 introduced a new design aimed at developers of virtual-reality game systems. The company partnered with a Vancouver-based graphics-engine developer on an immersive multiplayer game system and explored the use of a contemporary PC game as the basis for that experience. Its displays also became associated with simulation and training projects, including a Royal Canadian Navy training system described in defense-technology literature. The company's plans expanded as it assessed opportunities beyond entertainment. Its technology and related game-system components were considered for tourism, military instruction, astronaut training, scientific research, and rapid prototyping. Liquid Image had also examined wearable-computer interfaces. In 1992 it received a prototype Apple Newton for evaluation, but display technology at that time was not sufficiently mature for a practical product. By the middle of the decade, more suitable displays had become available. By 1996 the consumer virtual-reality market appeared increasingly speculative and unstable. Liquid Image determined that integrated immersive VR was unlikely to become a viable mass-market consumer category in the immediate future. It instead emphasized two more sustainable areas: military and scientific systems, and wearable computing. The MRG5, released in 1996 as a development product, used dual LCD displays but was not commercially introduced. In 1997 the MRG6 entered the wearable-computing market as a monocular display, followed in the autumn by the M1 monocle, which received recognition as an award-winning design. The strategic shift came too late to provide a stable replacement for declining VR-game demand. In 1997 the original Liquid Image operation was sold and rebranded TekGear. The successor business focused mainly on reselling virtual-reality and wearable-computing products rather than continuing Liquid Image's original manufacturing strategy. David Collette and Shannon O'Brien had left before the transition, while Tony Havelka remained involved in managing and expanding TekGear. The Liquid Image brand is consequently associated with the early development of commercial head-mounted displays and with Canada's early wearable-computing industry.

• 1997

  MRG6 and M1 wearable displays released

  [1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  The company launches the MRG6 and later the M1 monocular display as part of its move into wearable computing.

• 1997

  Business sold and renamed TekGear

  [1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  The original Liquid Image company is sold and rebranded TekGear after the virtual-reality game market contracts.

• 1996

  MRG5 development and strategic reassessment

  [1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  Liquid Image develops the dual-LCD MRG5 and begins shifting attention from consumer VR games toward professional and wearable-computing applications.

• 1995

  Founders become Manitoba Entrepreneur of the Year finalists

  [1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  David Collette and Tony Havelka become finalists in the Manitoba Entrepreneur of the Year program and place second.

• 1994

  MRG2 receives a virtual-reality industry award

  [1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  The monocular MRG2 wins a Mecklermedia Virtual Reality award after reaching commercial customers.

• 1992

  Company founded in Winnipeg

  [1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  Tony Havelka, David Collette, and Shannon O'Brien establish Liquid Image to develop commercial head-mounted displays for emerging virtual-reality applications.

An early specialist in practical, lightweight head-mounted displays, positioned between emerging virtual-reality entertainment hardware and professional visualization, training, military, scientific, and wearable-computing systems.

• Monocular head-mounted display · 1992

  MRG2

  Liquid Image's first major commercial headset used a 5.7-inch colour TFT-LCD in a monocular, universal-fit configuration. It was developed for military, scientific, entertainment, and simulation uses. Its comparatively practical single-eye design helped distinguish it from more cumbersome immersive systems of the period. MRG2 units were used in game systems, themed entertainment, music-video production, and film appearances.

• Monocular head-mounted display · 1996

  MRG2.2

  The MRG2.2 was a later, lower-priced version of the original MRG2. It preserved the core monocular head-mounted-display concept while making the system more accessible to professional and development customers. The model was available by 1996 as Liquid Image attempted to sustain demand while the broader consumer virtual-reality market weakened.

• Upgraded head-mounted displays

  MRG3 and MRG3C

  The MRG3 family upgraded the MRG2 platform while retaining a similar headset design. The MRG3 used a TFT-LCD with substantially higher resolution than the original display, and the MRG3C represented a related configuration. These models were directed toward demanding professional, simulation, and visualization applications rather than ordinary consumer electronics.

• Virtual-reality development display

  MRG4

  The MRG4 was a new head-mounted-display design intended for companies developing virtual-reality game systems. Its pricing was reported at approximately US$2,199 to US$2,800 in the available descriptions. The product reflected Liquid Image's effort to participate in the emerging VR-entertainment ecosystem while also supporting its own partnered immersive-game-system development.

• Dual-display head-mounted display · 1996

  MRG5

  Introduced in 1996, the MRG5 was Liquid Image's first design to use two LCD displays. It represented a technical step toward more immersive stereoscopic viewing, but the company did not launch the model commercially. Its limited release illustrates the gap between prototype development and sustainable product-market demand during the late-1990s VR downturn.

• Wearable-computing display · 1997

  MRG6

  The MRG6 was a monocular display introduced for the wearable-computing market in 1997. It represented Liquid Image's move away from consumer VR-game hardware toward portable computing, military, and commercial applications. The product is notable as an early commercially available wearable display in a category that later attracted much broader attention from the technology industry.

• Monocular wearable display · 1997

  M1

  Released in 1997, the M1 was the next-generation monocular wearable display following the MRG6. It was described as an award-winning product and continued Liquid Image's attempt to establish wearable computing as a more durable market than consumer virtual reality. The M1 was part of the final product generation associated with the Liquid Image name before the business became TekGear.

• 1997

  Sale and rebranding as TekGearM&A

  Background

  Demand for virtual-reality game systems had nearly disappeared, and the company had not transitioned quickly enough to dependable wearable-computing sales.

  Action taken

  The original Liquid Image company was sold and rebranded TekGear, with the successor focusing mainly on reselling virtual-reality and wearable-computing technology.

  Aftermath

  David Collette and Shannon O'Brien had departed before the transition, while Tony Havelka continued to manage and grow TekGear. Liquid Image ceased operating as the original independent manufacturing brand.

  Source

• 1996

  Shift from consumer VR toward professional and wearable computingStrategy

  Background

  The consumer virtual-reality market was showing signs of rapid contraction, while Liquid Image judged military, scientific, and wearable-computing applications to offer more sustainable demand.

  Action taken

  The company expanded work on portable-computing displays and professional applications, including military training, scientific research, and other specialized uses.

  Aftermath

  Liquid Image released the MRG6 and M1 for wearable computing, but the shift did not produce enough sustainable revenue to preserve the original company.

  Source

• 1997

  Liquid Image enters the wearable-computing display market with MRG6[1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The company launched the monocular MRG6 for wearable-computing applications, extending its focus beyond consumer virtual-reality game systems.

• 1997

  Liquid Image is sold and rebranded as TekGear[1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Leadership change

  Following the contraction of the virtual-reality game market, the original company was sold and changed its name to TekGear, which primarily resold related technology.

• 1996

  Liquid Image introduces the MRG5 dual-display prototype[1]Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch · Product generation

  Liquid Image developed the MRG5, its first head-mounted display design using dual LCD panels. The product was not commercially launched.

1. 1Liquid Imageen.wikipedia.org