[From Road to VR, where the story includes a 2:23 minute video; see also a BBC News report with one of the PIANO creators and the related Synthesia app]

Mixed Reality Piano Trainer Makes Learning the Piano Easy (and maybe even fun)

October 8, 2013 by Ben Lang

Back in December of last year, after seeing few compelling consumer augmented reality applications, I wrote a short article about one that I would actually use, an AR piano trainer. I’m thrilled today to see that something very similar has popped up, and can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Though the system in question, falls closer to ‘mixed reality’ than augmented reality, it’s easy to see how it could be extended to the latter — just add water! the right pair of AR glasses.… read more. “Mixed reality piano trainer makes learning the piano easy (and maybe even fun)”

[From NBC News, where the story includes additional images]

[Image: Sixense’s new motion-tracking system makes virtual reality seem like it’s finally within our grasp. Sixense/YouTube]

Virtual reality gaming is nearly here — we just need the right controller

Yannick LeJacq NBC News
October 7, 2013

Video games have long promised to offer their players “immersive experiences,” but full-blown virtual reality — the holodeck or the matrix — was still a fantasy. Now with the Oculus Rift headset on the horizon, that’s no longer the case: soon gamers will be able to slip on a pair of high-tech goggles and truly be immersed in a virtual world.

The only problem is: How will gamers play when they get there? With the Oculus Rift still in development for a full consumer launch, developers are finally realizing the deficiency of contemporary controls. In this brave new world where “The Matrix” suddenly doesn’t seem like too remote a possibility, the standard joysticks and gamepads that gamers have been using for decades are defunct.… read more. “VR gaming is nearly here – we just need the right controller”

[From Ani.me, where the story includes a 6:59 minute video; information and another video about a related app that lets the user shake hands with Hatsune Miku is available from Kotaku]

[News] Oculurs VR Allows Fans to ‘Sleep With’ Hatsune Miku

By Scott Larsen October 5, 2013

I have friends who are absolutely obsessed with characters. They pride themselves on owning anything and everything which feature’s their obsession’s image: posters, wallets, and of course the coveted hug-pillows. To these individuals, I now simply laugh at their obviously meager efforts. Why? Because with the new Oculus Rift VR, you can take your levels of crazy fandom to an entirely new level. This is where the big boys tread.

University student and obvious Miku fan Negipoyoc has created an application which for all intents and purposes, allows Oculus users to ‘sleep with’ Hatsune Miku.… read more. “Oculus app let fans ‘sleep with’ Hatsune Miku”

[From Gizmodo Australia, where the story includes several more images]

Exploring The Prehistoric World, By Way Of Virtual Reality

Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan 27 September 2013

For most history students, “exploring the past” means sifting through mountains of data. But digital archaeologist Marcus Abbott wants to make early human civilisation — or its digital simulacra — freely accessible to anyone who wants to explore it. His first prehistoric VR environment? A 3000-year-old spiritual site in the East Anglian fens.… read more. “Exploring the prehistoric world, by way of virtual reality”

[From the Georgia Tech News Center, where the story includes additional images]

[Image: Akanksha Prakash, a graduate student in the School of Psychology, found that people assign emotions to robots, based on their face.]

Putting a Face on a Robot

What does the assistive robot of the future look like? It depends.

Posted October 1, 2013 | Atlanta, GA

A new study from the Georgia Institute of Technology finds that older and younger people have varying preferences about what they would want a personal robot to look like. And they change their minds based on what the robot is supposed to do.

Participants were shown a series of photos portraying either robotic, human or mixed human-robot faces and were asked to select the one that they would prefer for their robot’s appearance. Most college-aged adults in the study preferred a robotic appearance, although they were also generally open to the others.… read more. “Putting a face on a robot: Age and task affect user preferences”