A disabled 80-year-old grandmother from Nottinghamshire has found fame after being described by Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, as ‘awesome’ for her use of virtual reality.
Dorothy Howard spent £400 ($530) on an Oculus Rift headset to travel the world after she was forced to pull out of her annual coach holiday to a knitting convention.
Zuckerberg, who bought Oculus for more than $2 billion (£1.52 billion) in 2014, described Mrs Howard adventures at a recent technology conference in Seattle.
But Mrs Howard, who lives in sheltered accommodation in Cotgrave, is still getting used to her newfound fame, and has even admitted she doesn’t even know who Zuckerberg is.
80-year-old grandmother Dorothy Howard (pictured) is travelling the world from the comfort of her living room using a state-of-the-art virtual reality headset
Mrs Howard suffers from spinal problems and arthritis and uses the virtual reality kit to ‘visit’ exotic destinations across the globe.
Since she bought the headset three months ago, the 80-year-old has used it to visit the pyramids in Egypt, scuba-dive with whales and even blast into space.
She has converted the front room of her sheltered accommodation bungalow into a virtual reality station, which she uses to explore the world.
Mrs Howard, whose husband George died in 1993 aged 56, said: ‘I used to go on knitting machine holidays to Cheshire every year and they were quite expensive, but then it started to get difficult for me to get on and off the coaches, so I stopped.
‘I still wanted to see new things and travel but my body was letting me down.
‘I started looking around on the internet and came across Oculus Rift – it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever used.
‘I’ve been everywhere. I’ve visited the pyramids in Egypt and stood next to the great Sphinx statues. I get there on Google Earth and it’s just like being there in the flesh.’
Mrs Howard spent £400 ($530) on an Oculus Rift kit after she was forced to pull out of her annual coach holiday to a knitting convention
Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset that immerses users in digital worlds. The headset can be connected to two handheld controllers that track users’ hands. Pictured is a first-person view of Mrs Howard visiting Rio de Janeiro on Google Earth using her headset
‘One of my favourite games is scuba-diving with whales. The whale actually comes up at your shoulder and you can touch it. It’s unbelievable.
Mrs Howard came to the attention of billionaire Mark Zuckerberg when she posted a message on the Oculus Facebook page.
Zuckerberg told a conference in Seattle last week about Mrs Howard, describing her as ‘awesome’.
Mark Zuckerberg, who bought Oculus for more than $2 billion (£1.52 billion) in 2014, described Mrs Howard adventures at a recent technology conference in Seattle (pictured)
Mrs Howard, who suffers from spinal problems and arthritis, uses the virtual reality kit to ‘visit’ exotic destinations across the globe
Mrs Howard used to holiday with her husband before her illness made movement difficult. Pictured is the retiree on holiday in Cyprus in 1956 (left) and Turkey in 1989 (right)
Since she bought it three months ago, Mrs Howard has used the headset to visit the pyramids in Egypt, scuba-dive with whales and even blast into space
He told the crowd of delegates: ‘Dorothy is an 80-year-old grandmother living in the UK and she owns an Oculus Rift.
‘A few weeks ago she posted in the official Rift group on Facebook to troubleshoot an issue.
‘She said ‘I bought a Rift as I am no longer fit to go on holidays. It is fantastic and I am looking at spectacular worlds.’
‘Dorothy is awesome.’
But Mrs Howard, who has three children and two grandchildren, said she ‘had no idea’ who Zuckerberg is.
She said: ‘I didn’t really know how to use it so I asked for help on the Oculus Rift group on Facebook and I had people from all over helping me out.
Mrs Howard has converted the front room of her sheltered accommodation bungalow in Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, into a virtual reality station, which she uses to explore the world
Mrs Howard, whose husband George died in 1993 aged 56, said: ‘I used to go on knitting machine holidays to Cheshire every year and they were quite expensive, but then it started to get difficult for me to get on and off the coaches, so I stopped’
Mrs Howard (left) said: ‘I think virtual reality is certainly the future. In a few years’ time I can see that they will be as common as refrigerators, every home will own one.’ Pictured right is Mrs Howard on holiday in Turkey in 1989
Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset that immerses users in digital worlds.
The headset can be connected to two handheld controllers that use a second sensor to track users’ hands.
Each controller has touch sensitive buttons to allow objects to be easily picked up and moved around.
Mrs Howard said: ‘I think virtual reality is certainly the future. In a few years’ time I can see that they will be as common as refrigerators, every home will own one.’
‘My daughter told me that Mark Zuckerberg had talked about me at the conference, but I don’t really know who he is. It’s as if I’ve had an interview with the Pope.’
During her working life Mrs Howard served in the Royal Signals where she met her husband George and they travelled the world, having their three children, Adrian, Trina and Chris, in different countries.
After retiring from the armed forces, the couple ran motels in Australia before moving back to the UK, and settling in the East Midlands.
After retiring from the armed forces, the couple ran motels in Australia before moving back to the UK, and settling in the East Midlands. Pictured is Mrs Howard on holiday in Venice in 1988
Pictured is Mrs Howard on holiday in Turkey in 1989. She said: ‘My daughter told me that Mark Zuckerberg had talked about me at the conference, but I don’t really know who he is. It’s as if I’ve had an interview with the Pope’
Mrs Howard only bought her headset three months ago, but has since travelled all over the world using the kit. She is pictured in this image on holiday in Italy in 1988