ISPR Presence News

Monthly Archives: August 2014

Job: Director for Learning Science Research at Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) at USC

The University of Southern California (USC)
Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT)
Director for Learning Science Research

Job Location:  Los Angeles, CA

http://usccareers.usc.edu/los-angeles/director-for-learning-science-research/jobid5761520-director-for-learning-science-research-jobs

The University of Southern California (USC) Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) is seeking a Director for Learning Science Research to define the overall vision for learning sciences research at the ICT. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated success securing research funding, and will be widely recognized for his or her achievements in computer-supported learning and educational technology, with a national or international reputation. The candidate will be knowledgeable about intelligent tutoring systems, artificial intelligence, instructional design, user assessment design, and systems evaluation design. The candidate will be familiar with good practices for system design.… read more. “Job: Director for Learning Science Research at Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) at USC”

Posted in Jobs | Leave a comment

Barcelona turning old Olympic stadium into VR theme park

[From CNN, where the story includes a photo gallery and a 1:53 minute video]

Swimming races at Barcelona virtual sports theme park

[Image: Details of a new sports-based theme park in Barcelona are sketchy, but promotional images show visitors taking part in virtual swimming races.]

Barcelona to host world’s first sports theme park

By Barry Neild, CNN
August 4, 2014

(CNN) — Fitness isn’t usually a requirement for theme parks — standing in lines, climbing into rides and screaming in abject terror require only basic levels of stamina.

Not so at the world’s first-ever sports amusement park planned for the Olympic Stadium and other Olympic venues in Barcelona, which promises to give visitors the chance to experience what it’s like to race against Usain Bolt.

Open Camp will offer more than 50 “virtual experiences with links to every sport” when it opens in 2015, according to officials in the Spanish city.… read more. “Barcelona turning old Olympic stadium into VR theme park”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: First International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots (at ACE 2014)

First International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots
http://loverobots.mixedrealitylab.org/

At ACE (Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology) 2014
November 11-14, 2014
Funchal, Madeira
http://www.ace2014.info/

Introduction

Within the fields of Human-Computer Interaction and Human-Robot Interaction, the past few years have witnessed a strong upsurge of interest in the more personal aspects of human relationships with these artificial partners. This upsurge has not only been apparent amongst the general public, as evidenced by an increase in coverage in the print media, TV documentaries and feature films, but also within the academic community.

List of Topics

Congress sessions are planned on the following topics, inter alia:

  • Robot Emotions
  • Humanoid Robots
  • Clone Robots
  • Entertainment Robots
  • Robot Personalities
  • Teledildonics
  • Intelligent electronic sex hardware
  • Gender Approaches
  • Affective Approaches
  • Psychological Approaches
  • Sociological Approaches
  • Roboethics
  • Philosophical Approaches
read more. “Call: First International Congress on Love and Sex with Robots (at ACE 2014)”
Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Latest Oculus Rift sim: Lay your head on virtual anime woman’s lap

[From RocketNews24, where the story includes the 3:11 minute video and many screenshots; for more on the meaning of otaku see Wikipedia]

POV of user of Up Frontier lap simulation

You can now get physical with your virtual girlfriend thanks to Oculus Rift and a dubious pillow

Cara Clegg
August 4, 2014

Are you starting to feel that your virtual girlfriend just isn’t real enough? Craving the feel of her soft skin against your own? With the technological leaps being made in the field of virtual reality gaming headsets, otaku are being offered the chance to get closer to their digital darlings than ever before. But can they handle it?!

For those not up-to-date on the latest in gaming tech, the Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset being developed by Oculus VR (now owned by Facebook), that raised most of its early funding via Kickstarter. Although the device is not yet available on the consumer market, a developer kit is currently available, and many small indie games and simulators are starting to trickle out that try to take full advantage of all that 360 degree virtual reality offers.… read more. “Latest Oculus Rift sim: Lay your head on virtual anime woman’s lap”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: Journal of Social Media Studies (JSMS)

Journal of Social Media Studies (JSMS) is jointly edited by the Institute of Language and Communications Studies and the Macro World Publishing. The JSMS is the outstanding international journal that provides examination of social media analyses and the fields of communication sciences.

Manuscripts may be philosophical, theoretical, methodological, critical, applied, pedagogical, or empirical in nature, as well as empirical contributions as papers that address the theoretical and methodological debates within social media.

The quick (30 days) and double blind review process, rich editorial board, zero tolerance for plagiarism and high respect for publication ethics, a strong commitment for scheduled publication are the key features of the Institute’s journals. The journal accepts online submissions only.

Research areas are relevant to the journal include, but are not limited to:… read more. “Call: Journal of Social Media Studies (JSMS)”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

People developing attachments to hitch-hiking robot

[From Phys.org]

hitchBOT with creators

[Image: This photo obtained July 31, 2014 shows creators Dr. Frauke Zeller of Ryerson University and Dr. David Harris Smith of McMaster University with hitchBOT]

Hitchhiking robot thumbs its way across Canada

Aug 02, 2014 by Michel Comte

A talking robot assembled from household odds and ends is hitchhiking thousands of kilometers across Canada this summer as part of a social experiment to see if those of its kind can trust humans.

Society is “usually concerned with whether we can trust robots,” Frauke Zeller, co-creator of the “hitchBot,” told AFP.

Hollywood movies like “The Terminator” and “The Matrix” often depict machines as enemies of mankind, according to the assistant professor at Toronto’s Ryerson University.

But, she noted, quite the opposite is true of hitchBot.

“This project turns our fear of technology on its head and asks, ‘Can robots trust humans?'”… read more. “People developing attachments to hitch-hiking robot”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: MobiCASE 2014 – Sixth International Conference on Mobile Computing, Applications and Services

Announcement and Call for Papers

MOBICASE 2014
The Sixth International Conference on
Mobile Computing, Applications and Services
November 06-07, 2014, Austin (Texas, USA)

http://mobicase.org/2014/

MobiCASE, the International Conference on Mobile Computing, Applications, and Services, is a confluence between academia and industry on mobile applications and services research.

Now in its sixth edition, MobiCASE is a leading scientific forum for cutting-edge research results in mobile computing, applications, and services. As in previous years, MobiCASE 2014 is scheduled to include high-quality paper presentation sessions revealing the latest in mobile computing research, industry demos of exciting mobile applications and services, and participant engagement in hands-on projects and tutorials.

Relevant topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Anticipatory Computing — e.g., predictive systems that could power mobile services such as Microsoft Cortana or Google Now
  • Mobile Advertising — e.g., location-based search and the recommendation of goods/services
  • Energy Efficiency — e.g.,
read more. “Call: MobiCASE 2014 – Sixth International Conference on Mobile Computing, Applications and Services”
Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Virtual reality: Advertising’s next big thing?

[From Advertising Age, where the story includes many more images.

If you read nothing else, check out the last line! –Matthew]

Coke VR branding at World Cup

[Image: Coke put people on World Cup playing field.]

Virtual Reality: Advertising’s Next Big Thing?

First Movers Coca-Cola, Nissan, HBO Bet on Tech’s Future for Marketing

By Cotton Delo. Published on July 28, 2014

You’re on a wooden plank. Pivoting, you find yourself on the precipice of a deep pit. Taking unsteady steps, you cross with your arms outstretched for balance. You teeter to the end, exhaling in relief—and are told to about-face and plunge in.

None of this is real, a clearly evident fact. Motion sensors are strapped to your ankles and $39,000 black goggles, made by a company called NVIS, whose customers include the U.S. Army and Navy, cover most of your face and sit heavily on your head.… read more. “Virtual reality: Advertising’s next big thing?”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: “Identity and Play: Playing with Self in Digital Games and Social Media” panel at Hawaii Intl Conf on Arts/Humanities

CALL FOR PANELISTS
Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities,
Honolulu, January 10-13, 2015
http://www.hichumanities.org/

IMPORTANT DATES

Submission/Proposal Deadline:  August 15th, 2014
Paper acceptance notifications:  TBD

FORMAT OF PRESENTATION

Panel sessions will last 90 minutes and it is the presenters’ choice how that time is split between panelists.

PANEL DESCRIPTION

Identity and Play: Playing with Self in Digital Games and Social Media

Play with self and personal identity can vary over time, across media, and as a consequence of psychological and social context. Our focus in this panel will be to investigate how digital media designs and services affect the construction and maintenance of self.

The panel discussion will examine specific examples of self construction in virtual environments and how existing media designs — including, prominently, digital game designs — engage, facilitate, and, potentially, inhibit play with self. We are positioning this panel as a review of existing research.… read more. “Call: “Identity and Play: Playing with Self in Digital Games and Social Media” panel at Hawaii Intl Conf on Arts/Humanities”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

IBM Watson: The future of computers with conversational skills

[From IBM’s Smarter Planet blog, where the post includes a 3:23 minute video. For a description of an IBM prototype of “a room where executives can go to talk over business problems with a version of Watson, the computer system that defeated two Jeopardy! champions on TV in 2012,” see an August 4 article in MIT Technology Review.]

IBM's Watson

IBM Watson: The Future of Computers with Conversational Skills

May, 19th 2014
By Michael Rhodin, Sr VP, IBM Watson Group

The second in a series on the IBM Watson Platform, this blog explores the future of how computers relate to us.

For decades, moviemakers and TV producers have featured talking computers as futuristic props—whether it was Captain Kirk barking commands on the Starship Enterprise, Michael Knight talking to his car, K.I.T.T., on Knight Rider, or Theodore cooing to his smartphone operating system, Samantha, in the recent movie Her.read more. “IBM Watson: The future of computers with conversational skills”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment
  • Find Researchers

    Use the links below to find researchers listed alphabetically by the first letter of their last name.

    A | B | C | D | E | F| G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z