Chicago Inno (Jan. 5) -- It looks 2016 is shaping up to be the year virtual reality goes beyond the showroom floor and into, well, actual reality. It's been a long time coming, said former Oculus lead scientist and current CS professor Steve LaValle. He took a break from teaching back in 2012 to work on Oculus, and returned to UIUC in 2014 to head up a virtual reality course at the University.