[Researchers in Korea are refining a new AI application that creates 3D, motion-capable avatars of dogs from a single image, allowing pet, or just dog, lovers to incorporate them into virtual and mixed reality (presence) experiences. The story below is from the VIVE blog; for more information see the project’s GitHub webpage and the researchers’ recent publication in the International Journal of Computer Vision. After describing the project, the author of coverage in Popular Science writes this: “That’s not to say the results were perfect. The 3D models created by DogRecon generally resemble the dog breeds they’re intended to represent,…

[It would have been even more useful if this essay from Inside Higher Ed had been published prior to this year’s anniversary of the September 11, 2001 events, but it both describes some of the benefits of incorporating presence experiences into college-level courses and offers thoughtful advice about how to most effectively do so. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Porter Gifford/Corbis Historical via Getty Images] Teaching Sept. 11 Using Virtual Reality Seeking a way to convey the import of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to students too young to remember them, Adam M. McMahon writes that he turned to virtual reality. By…

[Field of view (the extent or amount of an observable world a person can see with their eyes directly or via a device) has been identified as an important contributor to experiencing presence (e.g., see Cummings & Bailenson, 2016). The author of this detailed and context-filled report from UploadVR about a new Meta prototype headset with a very large field of view has long believed this as well, and after a hands-on test of the prototype reports that “In VR mode, Boba 3 gave me a deeper sensation of truly being in another place than any other headset has before.…

[Because I have a blood cancer called Polycythemia Vera, I have had to receive regular therapeutic phlebotomies at a local infusion center for over a decade. And because most patients at infusion centers are there to receive chemotherapy, I’ve been regularly reminded of how difficult that treatment can be. So the story below from Wake Forest Health in North Carolina (and also available via the Triad Business Journal) is particularly meaningful. See the original version for a second image. A closely related story can be found in an ISPR Presence News post from March 2017 titled “Start VR and Australia…

[The abridged stories below from Fast Company and Mike Elgan’s Machine Society newsletter describe the latest impressive but dangerous advances in the ability of artificial intelligence to quickly and easily manufacture images that mimic photos of reality and thereby evoke presence. As Elgan puts it, “it’s amazing and awful at the same time.” See the original versions of both stories for several more examples and see the Fast Company story for a 6:40 minute video demonstration (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: Credit: NASA/Thomas Smith] Why Google’s new Nano Banana means you can never trust a photo you see online…

[A new feature in Apple’s iOS operating system is designed to make any image appear to be three-dimensional (and thus evoke more experiences of presence among users). As the author of this story in Fortune notes, the introduction of the feature following the release of the Apple Vision Pro “spatial computing” platform indicates Apple’s intention to nudge both consumers and app developers toward greater adoption of augmented reality, and more generally into “a world where spatial content feels normal, even expected.” –Matthew] [Image: A 3D spatial scene of a kangaroo on the lock screen of an iPhone. Source: MacRumors] Apple…

[As a person with low vision who studies presence, I really appreciate the potential value of the simulator described in this summary report from Eyes on Eyecare. Follow the links, particularly to the company’s press release (also available via PR Newswire) and website, for more information. –Matthew] VirtuaLens launches with VR-based IOL simulator By Alex Delaney-GesingSeptember 4, 2025 VirtuaLens has officially launched as an eyecare medical technology company with a first-of-its-kind virtual reality (VR)-based technology: the Immersive intraocular lens (IOL) Simulator. A new company and product?! Where to begin? We’ll start with the company. Headquartered in Cedar Park, Texas, VirtuaLens…

[As reported in this story from the AP via ABC News, the president of the United States claimed that a video of objects being thrown from an open upstairs window at the White House this week was created with artificial intelligence despite administration representatives having acknowledged that was not the case, an example of the “liar’s dividend” in which people falsely claim technology was used to evoke (presence-based) misperceptions to avoid being held accountable for actual actions and events. The story describes other examples and provides additional context. In the Reliable Sources email newsletter for September 3, CNN media analyst…

[This link-filled story from IEEE Spectrum describes some of the impressive presence-related achievements of pioneering engineer and scholar Steve Mann, now a professor at the University of Toronto. See the original story for a second image and for more information see the February 2025 article “Extended Reality: History, Concepts, and Techniques“ (pdf) in the International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET). –Matthew] [Image: Steve Mann known as “the father of wearable computing,” is seen here wearing the “Eyetap,” an extended reality device he invented which transfers video images recorded from his point of view to a monitor. Credit: Randy…

[This story from the BBC explores the implications of several recent, and older, examples of media companies subtly altering the ways they present reality to consumers without informing them, essentially as the author writes, “add[ing] additional steps between us and the information and media we consume, often in ways you’d never notice at first glance” and thereby altering our perceptions of objects, people and events in the real (nonmediated) world. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Illustration by Serenity Strull/Getty Images] YouTube secretly used AI to edit people’s videos. The results could bend reality YouTube made AI enhancements to videos without telling users…

[A new version of the classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” has been created specifically for the state-of-the-art immersive film and performance venue Sphere (they’ve officially dropped the “The”) using advanced artificial intelligence and other software tools along with 4D physical effects. Learning more about it makes me even more anxious for a “presence field trip” to Las Vegas. The Reuters story below provides lots of details about the project (see the original version for five different images). A commentary at MediaPost notes implications for marketing and advertising. Visit the Sphere website for much more information, including an 8:02…

[This story from Northern Virginia Magazine describes important work being done by George Mason University assistant professor Li-Mei Chen on the use of presence-evoking virtual reality to help caregivers learn about and empathize with the experiences of people with dementia. Note the links to related efforts and resources near the end of the story. See the original version for a second image. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Li-Mei Chen/George Mason University] Virtual Reality Shows Caregivers What It’s Like to Live with Dementia The technology allows caregivers to see scenarios through the eyes of their patients. By Stephanie KanowitzAugust 19, 2025 It took…