[From The Times of Malta; more information including a 0:31 minute promotional video is available at http://www.malta5d.com/ and a 5:31 minute video on the making of the 5D film is available on YouTube] Experiencing Malta in virtual reality Kim Dalli Friday, September 28, 2012 A new attraction in Valletta offers an innovative and exciting way to experience the island’s history. Malta 5D combines 3D with new generation 5D cinema effects, allowing the audience full immersion into the world portrayed on screen. The 5D motion chairs have features such as water spray, vibration and leg sweeping while the auditorium has equipment…

[From NBC News] Camera-equipped ‘high dynamic range’ helmet gives you superhuman vision Devin Coldewey September 26, 2012 If you think of high dynamic range imaging, or HDR, you probably think of crazy panoramic cityscapes or lighthouses where everything pops with impossible clarity — imagine seeing the whole world that way. These goggles let you look at everything in real-time 3-D HDR — and it’s more useful than you might think.…

[From Wolters Kluwer Health; short demonstration videos can be found on YouTube here and here] Virtual Reality Simulator Helps Teach Surgery for Brain Cancer, Reports Neurosurgery ‘NeuroTouch’ System Provides 3-D Graphics and Tactile Feedback During Simulated Brain Surgery  Philadelphia, Pa. (September 20, 2012) – A new virtual reality simulator—including sophisticated 3-D graphics and tactile feedback—provides neurosurgery trainees with valuable opportunities to practice essential skills and techniques for brain cancer surgery, according to a paper in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of…

[From PC World, where the story includes additional pictures] Virtual reality: More virtual than real By Julie Sartain, NetworkWorld Sep 24, 2012 Remember virtual reality? The idea that science could create a virtual world of sight, sound, smell and touch was hot two decades ago, then completely fizzled out. “VR made a huge splash in the 90s, but collapsed into near obscurity a few years later. The term VR even became a dirty word for some time, giving way to the less-hyped term immersion,” says Paul Mlyniec, president of California-based Digital ArtForms. “There’s not much new happening in virtual reality,”…

[From The University of Bristol] Virtual reality cow simulator goes global Press release issued 24 September 2012 A virtual reality cow, invented by a University of Bristol graduate, will soon be used to educate future vets around the world. Professor Sarah Baillie (BVSc 1986 and BSc 1984), who has recently returned to the University as Chair in Veterinary Education at the School of Veterinary Sciences, combined her veterinary knowledge with computer science to create the Haptic Cow while studying for a PhD at Glasgow University. The revolutionary Haptic Cow allows students to carry out virtual examinations of the cow using…

[From Kotaku] I’ve Seen the Future of Virtual Reality, and It Is Terrifying Toshi Nakamura Sep 21, 2012 Experience the big-screen in private. That’s the sales pitch for head-mounted displays. One would think that the only real areas for technological advancement would be in the screen resolution and the actual weight of the device. Introducing the Prototype-SR (Substitutional Reality), a new take on the head-mounted display. Based on Sony’s HMZ personal 3D viewer head-mounted display, the Prototype-SR mixes real-time video with prerecorded video to create what Sony hopes is a unique new entertainment experience. The Prototype-SR is currently on display…