[From Road to VR, where the story includes more pictures; in addition to the links at the end, there’s our recent article “Telepresence and Sexuality”]

More Erotic Oculus Rift Games in the Works (Roundup) [NSFW]

August 15, 2013 | Posted by Ben Lang

The last few days have seen the release of several new erotic experiences for the Oculus Rift. Some are on the art side of the spectrum while others are just flat-out NSFW Oculus Rift pornography. Here’s a round-up of the latest.

While we do our best to report on this news without putting any NSFW content directly on our site and explicitly point out when we’re linking to NSFW content, please consider all links in this article NSFW just to be safe!… read more. “More erotic Oculus Rift games in the works (Roundup) [NSFW]”

[From Dundalk Chamber]

European first as Louth County Museum installs a ‘virtual presenter’

Friday, 26 July 2013  – Dundalk Chamber

Up-to-the-minute technology and history are combining with the installation of a Casio Virtual Presenter in the County Museum, Dundalk.

The joint project by the Museum, Casio and Quick Response Ireland is the first of its kind in the country and the first such installation at a European museum. Internationally, only one other such Virtual Presenter has gone into use, in Japan.

The Virtual Presenter is a cutting-edge tool of Casio Signage, with the power to captivate passers-by with a realistic-looking character that talks to them from the screen. The screen itself is shaped like the character, which can be freely selected to match the characteristics needed to bring people into a given location. The character’s appearance and voice can be changed easily to keep repeat customers from losing interest.… read more. “European first as Louth County Museum installs a ‘virtual presenter’”

[From Digital Trends, where the story includes an additional images; by the way, as described last year in the Wall Street Journal, to save money Ikea is replacing product photographs in its catalogs with computer-generated images]

Ikea’s new augmented reality app superimposes furniture into your empty room

By Natt Garun — August 2, 2013

The typical Ikea experience usually goes like this: You get to the showroom, everything looks so wonderful and amazing, you pretend to live in the overly-organized fake bedroom, realize you should make a list of things to buy and… crap, now you’re not quite sure how that’ll look in your apartment. So you go home with some Swedish meatballs in your belly and a new version of the year’s annual catalog.

Despite what you might think was a failure of a trip, obtaining a catalog was actually a start!… read more. “Ikea’s new augmented reality app superimposes furniture into your empty room”

[From The Next Web]

DAQRI and the playful future of augmented reality

By Josh Ong, Thursday, 25 Jul ’13

Augmented reality (AR) is a mixed bag. Early implementations have been gimmicky without adding much value to the experience, but when it’s done right, AR can be a wondrous experience.

DAQRI is taking strides to legitimize the medium by partnering with big-name brands like Maxim and Target, and the company is charting a next step to bring AR experiences to educational toys and games. The startup tipped its hand on Wednesday with the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for a set of Elements 4D blocks that enable users to interact with virtual versions of elements. I’ve played with the blocks, and they’re a clever educational tool. Combining various blocks shows the properties of chemical reactions and their respective compounds.

During a recent developer bootcamp, we sat down with DAQRI CEO Brian Mullins to learn more about how they’re driving the future of augmented reality.… read more. “DAQRI and the playful future of augmented reality”

[From the Cheraw Chronicle]

Virtual Reality School applies for charter

by Special to the Chronicle
August 4, 2013

Can you imagine a school where students visit the Sistine Chapel and are back home by the bell? Or a school where students learn to operate lasers on the moon or explore sea life on the bottom of the ocean floor? Or a school where students travel back in time to meet Beethoven, Davy Crockett or Alexander the Great?

Soon such a school might exist in South Carolina if the proposed NOBLE Virtual School, based upon interactive 3D virtual world technology, is successful with its charter application. As a charter public school, students in South Carolina would pay no tuition to attend the school and there would be no special requirement for admission. Like other virtual schools, students would study from home on their computer but there the similarity to other online educational programs ends.… read more. “Virtual Reality School applies for charter”