Michael Richard Starks, born on June 23, 1941, is an American scientist, technologist, inventor, and philosopher whose work has shaped the fields of stereoscopic 3D technology, virtual reality, psychology, and philosophy. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he has contributed to both scientific innovation and deep intellectual research. He is a co-inventor of early 3DTV systems, creator of consumer VR products, and author of more than one hundred works that have reached readers across the world.
Starks began his academic path in the biological sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. In the late 1960s, he carried out research in membrane transport and chloroplast biochemistry. One of his first papers, titled “Ion Transport in Chloroplasts,” was published in 1968 in Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Though he did not follow a traditional academic career in biology, his training built strong research skills that later supported his work in technology and philosophy. His move from cell science to stereoscopic systems was unusual but led to significant breakthroughs.
In 1973, Starks started working in stereoscopic imaging. He co-founded StereoGraphics Corporation in 1979 and served as Vice President. The company became a leader in 3D visualization. There, Starks helped create early 3D video game prototypes and worked on CrystalEyes, a product that became the standard for professional 3D viewing. He is a co-patentee of the company’s first 3DTV system, filed under US Patent 4523226.
By 1985, Starks joined UME Corporation as a senior research scientist, where he led several projects, including early work on the Mattel Power Glove. This product is considered the first consumer virtual reality device. In 1989, he founded 3DTV Corporation, which introduced the first home 3DTV system that used LCD glasses and VHS tapes. The launch drew wide attention, including a front-page feature in The Wall Street Journal during the 1990 Consumer Electronics Show.
Throughout the 1990s, Starks continued to drive innovation in 3D video and VR. He released the first full-color stereoscopic CD-ROM, “3D Magic,” in 1992, and launched wireless LCD glasses the same year. In 1993, he developed the StereoMac system (the only electronic stereoscopic system for the Apple Macintosh) and a high-quality anaglyph product called SpaceSpex. He also produced hardware for NeoTek’s 3D anatomy software using the famous Bassett stereoscopic human anatomy photos. In 1997, his company won a NASA contract to create a compact stereo camera for space missions. That year, he also worked on TriDVD, the first 3D DVD-ROM system for personal computers. In 1999, 3DTV Corporation released the first 3D movies on DVD that worked with shutter glasses on unmodified home TV sets.
From 1998 to 2002, Starks worked with firms in China, Japan, Korea, and the United States to build commercial 3DTV broadcasting systems. These used LCD shutter glasses and were among the first to air 3D content via satellite and terrestrial television. In 2002, he sold the rights to his real-time 2D to 3D video conversion software, branded Solidizing, to X3D Corporation. This software was later used in a consumer set-top device called the Virtual FX 3D Converter. That same year, his team developed the hardware for TriD, NeoTek’s digital HD 3D system that allowed users to record, edit, and play 3D stereoscopic content on regular Windows computers.
Between 2003 and 2020, Starks consulted with many companies, including 3DTV Corp Japan, C3D, FourVis Corp of Korea, and NewSight of the USA. His work helped bring professional and home 3D systems to global markets starting in 2008. When NVIDIA left the consumer 3D market, 3DTV Corporation became the only approved provider of 3D vision kits with VESA and USB emitters for the US government and related industries.
At the age of 65, Starks shifted his focus from stereoscopy to philosophy and psychology. He studied the ideas of Ludwig Wittgenstein and John Searle and explored the growing field of evolutionary psychology. From 2006 to 2015, he wrote daily and researched full-time. His writings discuss logic, language, consciousness, behavior, and modern society. Since 2012, he has published over one hundred works in English and translated most of them into eleven other languages. His research has reached a global audience through academic platforms.
On academia.edu, he ranks in the top half percent of most-read authors. On researchgate.net, his papers had more than 194,000 reads by mid-2025, placing him ahead of 96 percent of researchers in political philosophy and 93 percent in behavioral science. He also ranks in the top one percent on PhilPapers.org. While sites like CORE, sci hub, and libgen do not show numbers, it is estimated that his total readers now exceed two million.
At the age of 84, Starks continues to write. His latest book, titled Philosophy as Psychology and Psychology as Philosophy, was published in 2025 by Reality Press and printed and distributed by Amazon. His past works include Psychedelic Chemistry, Marijuana Potency, Marijuana Chemistry, The Fabulous Illustrated History of Psychoactive Plants, Cocaine Fiends and Reefer Madness, 3DTV and 3D Movie Technology, The Logical Structure of Philosophy, Psychology, Mind and Language, Suicidal Utopian Delusions in the 21st Century, The Logical Structure of Human Behavior, Welcome to Hell on Earth, and The Logical Structure of Language.
Starks is co-patentee of both the first professional 3DTV system (by StereoGraphics Corp in 1979) and the first home 3DTV system (by 3DTV Corp in 1989), which was noted on the front page of The Wall Street Journal in January 1990. He has been a member of major industry groups like SMPTE, SID, SPIE, and IEEE. His articles have appeared in Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, American Cinematographer, Stereoscopy, and Proceedings of SPIE. He also helped launch SPIE’s 3D imaging symposia.
Michael Richard Starks has made significant contributions in both technology and philosophy through persistent efforts over more than five decades.
