[From The University of Canterbury’s Psychology Department; more information and a 2:44 minute video are available from Stuff] UC designs virtual quake simulator 31 May 2012 Researchers are creating an earthquake simulator at the University of Canterbury to investigate ways to help Cantabrians overcome post-traumatic stress disorders caused by ongoing seismic activity. UC’s Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand (HIT Lab NZ) is constructing a virtual reality simulator that includes a platform fitted with bass shakers to recreate a virtual earthquake.…

[From Technology Review’s Physics arXiv blog] The Future of Medical Visualisation Medicine has been revolutionised by 3D imaging techniques. But you ain’t seen nothing yet, say data imaging researchers KFC 06/08/2012 Medical visualisation is the use of computers to create 3D images from medical imaging data sets. It’s a relatively young field of science, relying heavily on advances in computing for its horsepower. Despite its youth, these techniques have revolutionised medicine. Much of modern medicine relies on the 3D imaging that is possible with magnetic resonance imaging scanners and computed tomography (CT) scanners, which make 3D images out of 2D…

[From PC Gamer, where the story includes the complete three part video] John Carmack is making a virtual reality headset, $500 kits available soon, video interview inside Graham Smith June 6 2012 John Carmack has been building a virtual reality headset in his spare time. He’s showing it to people behind closed doors at this year’s E3, tucked away inside the Bethesda booth, and described it as “probably the best VR demo the world has ever seen.” Our video hero, David Boddington, was the 30th person in the world to use it. Check [here] for a 20 minute video with…

[From InformationWeek Healthcare; for more see ZDNet’s Health blog] The Doctor Will See You In Walmart Retailer rolls out telemedicine services that give shoppers access to doctors through videoconferencing technology. By Nicole Lewis, InformationWeek June 05, 2012 It’s the weekend and you’ve gotten a nasty cold with a high temperature and need to see a doctor, but you also need to buy milk, eggs, and bread. Walmart’s telemedicine services now give new meaning to the term “one-stop shopping.” A statement outlining the Arkansas retail giant’s use of telehealth technology indicates that Walmart has engaged BCS Global Networks to provide videoconferencing…

[From The Christian Science Monitor’s chapter & verse blog; short videos are available here and here] Harry Potter ‘Book of Spells’ will come to life via Sony J.K. Rowling’s ‘Book of Spells’ will allow players to wave wands and cast spells using Wonderbook technology. By Husna Haq / June 5, 2012 It’s being called the reinvention of the storybook. At a Monday announcement at the annual video game conference known as the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Sony Entertainment of America announced J.K. Rowling’s “Wonderbook: Book of Spells,” an interactive spell book that comes alive on PlayStation 3 videogame…

[From Discovery News, where the story includes a 1:40 minute video] [Image: The goggles trick the senses, making a cookie appear bigger, for example] ‘Diet Glasses’ Fool Wearers Into Eating Less Augmented reality goggles trick eaters into feeling more satisfied with their meals. Jun 4, 2012 Content provided by Miwa Suzuki, AFP Goggles that trick the wearer into thinking the plain snack in their hand is a chocolate cookie, or make biscuits appear larger have been unveiled in Japan, offering hope to weak-willed dieters everywhere. Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed devices that use computer wizardry and augmented…