Actually Palmer worked on a research project in university that was using 3d printed goggles and cheap off the shelf lenses which you could snap an iPhone into.

Actually Palmer worked on a research project in university that was using 3d printed goggles and cheap off the shelf lenses which you could snap an iPhone into. See http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/diy/vr2go/ http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/diy/vr2go/ I don't know if it was his idea or how involved he really was, just that he said he worked on it. The point is that cardboard was based on this.