[From The Sunday Times; more information, including a video segment, is available in a post at GameSpot – an excerpt follows below] From The Sunday Times October 18, 2009 EyePet brings augmented reality into the home Alex Pell Parents, pay attention and spare yourself serious aggravation this Christmas. Every year there is a must-have video game. The one for this festive season goes on sale next week so you have time to avoid that dreaded late-December mission where you scour empty shelves like a wild-eyed lunatic. Why is it special? Well, prepare to cosy up with EyePet, the virtual pet.…

[From Network World (“the premier provider of information, intelligence and insight for Network and IT Executives”)] Cisco telepresence cuts near $1M in travel costs for law firm Conferencing gear pays for itself within five years, frees up attorneys’ time. By Tim Greene, Network World, 10/07/2009 Sprawling international law firm DLA Piper has upgraded from videoconferencing to telepresence that will save the firm nearly $1 million dollars per year in reduced travel costs and lost productivity. The conferencing gear that simulates across-the-table meetings has a provable and achievable return on investment over five years, and may actually pay for itself before…

[From Business Wire via Reuters] European Hospitals Test Anesthetists’ Skills On Computers, Not People, Using SensAble`s Haptic Devices Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:00am EDT Pan-European Clinical Trials Led by Cork University Hospital Assesses Whether Lumbar Puncture Skills Can Be Accurately Assessed on Computers, At Zero Risk to Patients WOBURN, Mass.–(Business Wire)– SensAble Technologies, Inc., announced that its customer, the Cork University Hospital, is leading clinical trials in two European hospitals using a haptically-enabled computer simulation system for testing physician competency in administering spinal anesthesia. SensAble is the leading manufacturer of haptic devices and toolkits, and its PHANTOM® force- feedback haptic devices…

[From BBC News; more information is available in a story in Wired, and a 1 minute video of a mouse performing in the study can be found here] Thursday, 15 October 2009 Virtual maze ‘maps’ mouse memory By Victoria Gill Science reporter, BBC News With the help of mice scampering through a virtual maze, scientists have taken recordings from inside individual brain cells, or neurons. The researchers report in the journal Nature how they recorded from cells in the brain’s memory centre. These neurons fired in a rhythmic pattern that could be related to the animal’s location. They hope their…

[A press release from Queen’s University Belfast] Increased success a `virtual´ certainty for rugby players October 14, 2009 Rugby players worldwide could benefit from a new virtual reality training programme created at Queen´s Belfast. Team members from Ulster Rugby have been working with researchers in the School of Psychology at Queen´s on a range of virtual training scenarios that test expert players´ perceptual skills. Lead researcher in the project is Dr Cathy Craig, a Senior Lecturer in Visual Perception who has previously collaborated with Adidas and top professional world class goal-keepers to study perception of curved free-kicks in football. She…

[From CNN] Disney debuts do-it-yourself thrill ride Wed October 14, 2009 By John D. Sutter CNN (CNN) — Any kid can dream up a roller coaster. But those who visit a new exhibit at Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park can actually take a ride on their fantasy creations. Epcot on Wednesday opened a new attraction called “Sum of All Thrills,” which lets kids use computer tablets to design a virtual roller coaster, bobsled track or plane ride. After inputting their designs, kids climb into a robotic carriage that uses virtual-reality technology to help them experience the ride they’ve created.…

[From The Vancouver Sun] Virtual meditative `walk in park´ aimed at relieving long-term pain By Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun October 12, 2009 A virtual meditative walk in the park may be just what the doctor ordered for chronic pain sufferers. Simon Fraser University associate professor Diane Gromala claims research shows a 3-D stroll in the forest has the power to help people manage chronic pain, sometimes with better results than traditional means such as morphine. Gromala, head of SFU´s Transforming Pain Research Group, is in the midst of developing such a virtual reality technique called  “walking meditation.” The technique is…