Apple has stepped up its virtual reality plans by hiring top VR researcher Doug Bowman. It is believed that the company will have cars with gesture control and 3D interface in the near future.

TechTimes noted that the technology company has tapped the services of the computer science professor and the Virginia Tech Center for Human-Computer Interaction director to keep up with rival firms, which are also stepping up efforts in virtual reality.

It also mentioned that Bowman's forte lies in 3D user interface design. His expertise will reportedly be used in future Apple projects like its Project Titan or its plan to make a self-driving electric vehicle.

Citing a Wall Street Journal report, Pocket-Lint said that Apple has long been serious in producing an Apple Car, which could reportedly be released in 2019 or 2020.

However, it claimed that the high-tech vehicle may not be "fully autonomous" when released on the market, but will eventually gear towards that direction.

The company is believed to also implement vehicle controls and user interface through gestures. TechTimes said Apple could integrate this new technology with 3D design with Bowman's help.

"Bowman's experience with creating Minority Report-style 3D interfaces could be deployed in AR car control systems," The Verge added.

There is also the projection that Apple might also be working on a VR headset similar to Samsung Gear.

According to Time, the company's acquisition of Bowman could also be a signal that the company will soon pursue VR and augmented reality (AR) technology.

Last year, Apple also nabbed a lead audio engineer from the HoloLens team of Microsoft, and then acquired AR firm Metaio and motion-capture company Faceshift.

These efforts are greatly believed to be part of the company's plan to make a top-of-the-line VR or AR device.

Time said there is still no confirmation of these plans, but noted that Apple could be threatened, especially with other rival companies like Facebook, Samsung, Sony and HTC committing to launch similar technologies like this.

Aside from virtual reality, TechInsider said that Bowman's skills also covers 3D user interfaces, which means he is also knowledgeable of ways to control what people see in VR.

The same report explained that VR headsets on the market make use of physical controllers to establish what users can see, which has been one of the biggest problems in this platform.

With Bowman, Apple is hoping to find a solution to this technology gap and better improve on it.