1 9 7 9 ▁to ▁ 1 9 8 0 , ▁the ▁NS F - fund ed ▁project ▁at ▁N MS U ▁focused ▁on ▁" dig ital ▁graph ical ▁simulations ▁for ▁learning ". ▁Lan ier ▁also ▁attended ▁art ▁school ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁during ▁this ▁time , ▁but ▁returned ▁to ▁New ▁Mexico ▁and ▁worked ▁as ▁an ▁assistant ▁to ▁a ▁mid w ife . ▁ ▁The ▁father ▁of ▁a ▁baby ▁he ▁helped ▁deliver ▁gave ▁him ▁a ▁car ▁as ▁a ▁gift ; ▁Lan ier ▁drove ▁the ▁car ▁to ▁Santa ▁Cruz . ▁ ▁At ari ▁L abs , ▁V PL ▁Research ▁( 1 9 8 3 – 1 9 9 0 ) ▁In ▁California , ▁Lan ier ▁worked ▁for ▁At ari , ▁where ▁he ▁met ▁Thomas ▁Z imm erman , ▁invent or ▁of ▁the ▁data ▁glo ve . ▁After ▁At ari ▁Inc . ▁was ▁split ▁into ▁two ▁companies ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 4 , ▁Lan ier ▁became ▁un emp loy ed . ▁The ▁free ▁time ▁enabled ▁him ▁to ▁concent rate ▁on ▁his ▁own ▁projects , ▁including ▁V PL , ▁a ▁" post - symbol ic " ▁visual ▁programming ▁language . ▁Al ong ▁with ▁Z imm erman , ▁Lan ier ▁founded ▁V PL ▁Research , ▁foc using ▁on ▁commercial izing ▁virtual ▁reality ▁techn ologies ; ▁the ▁company ▁prosper ed ▁for ▁a ▁while , ▁but ▁file d ▁for ▁bank rupt cy ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 0 . ▁In ▁ 1 9 9 9 , ▁Sun ▁Mic ros ystem s ▁bought ▁V PL ' s ▁virtual ▁reality ▁and