Museum Opens Extended Reality Exhibit

The Computer History Museum's new display traces nearly 60 years of augmented and virtual reality technology through more than 100 devices.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Historical

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The Computer History Museum has opened Extended Reality: Visions of the Future, an exhibit tracing augmented and virtual reality technology across several decades. More than 100 devices are on display, including the world's first AR headset from the 1960s.

Why it matters

The exhibit gives visitors a hands-on look at how the technology behind today's smart glasses developed over time. It arrives as industry leaders expect smart or AI glasses to gain traction.

The exhibit displays more than 100 devices, including the 1960s-era world's first AR headset, Google Glass and HoloLens. Interactive demos run on select Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m., while the timing of the exhibit's opening is not specified.

The players

Computer History Museum

A Mountain View institution dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of computing and its technologies.

Bernard Kress

An industry pioneer in optical engineering who serves as director of optical engineering for extended reality at Google.

The details

Visitors can try interactive demonstrations of today's extended reality glasses. The exhibit is guided by Bernard Kress, director of optical engineering for extended reality at Google, and presents the technology as a journey through its evolution.

Interactive demos are offered on select Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m.
The Extended Reality exhibit is scheduled to close March 28, 2027.

Historical Context

The exhibit positions the HoloLens and Google Glass within a lineage that begins with the world's first AR headset from the 1960s. Museum programming frames today's smart glasses as the latest stage in that decades-long development.

Mountain View residents can attend select Saturday demos from 1 to 4 p.m. to try today's extended reality glasses firsthand. The exhibit offers a direct way to see how the devices they may encounter have developed.

The takeaway

Seeing the evolution of AR and VR devices in one place shows how long the underlying technology has taken to mature. Visitors interested in the history can plan a visit before the exhibit closes in March 2027.