Apple stepping up AR and VR development with reported NASA hire

Apple have continued their move into developing AR and VR projects by reportedly hiring Jeff Norris, who was previously the augmented and virtual reality expert for space agency NASA.

According to reports from Bloomberg, Norris joined Apple earlier on in the year as part of its augmented reality team run by Mick Rockwell, formely of Dolby Labs. These uncofirmed reports come from anonymous sources within Apple. and Bloomberg have recieved no comment from Apple or NASA on the move.

Norris’s previous work at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory was founding the Mission Operations Innovation Office which looked at new ways to control spacecraft and other robotic functions using VR and AR.

According to The Verge, this is the latest in a run of hires by Apple with a focus on VR and AR production as they are reporting that people have joined from companies like Oculus and Magic Leap.

The company have said previously that Apple are "high on AR for the long run" following questions during 2016’s earnings report, also reported by The Verge.