[This VR technology, easier than most for content producers to adopt, makes the user “[f]eel like you’re in a luxury box with friends at your favorite sporting event”; the story is from Road to VR and includes more images. –Matthew] LiveLike Combines the Cameras of Today with the VR of Tomorrow By Ben Lang – Apr 29, 2015 While other companies are busy building 360 degree camera rigs and hoping for consumer adoption, VR startup LiveLike has a unique approach which uses existing broadcast camera tech in a surprisingly effective way to make you feel like you’re in a luxury…

[A promising expansion of telepresence robotic technology is described in this article from IEEE Spectrum, which includes another image and two videos; for much more information see the DORA website. –Matthew] DORA Telepresence Robot Gives You Fully Immersive Experience By Evan Ackerman Posted 28 Apr 2015 Remote presence robots, as the name implies, act as your stand-in at a distant location, letting you move around and see and hear through a robotic surrogate. Space agencies, researchers, and the military have developed high-end telepresence systems that offer an immersive experience, but these units can cost millions of dollars. Consumer telepresence robots…

[Perspectives on the future of VR in architecture and more generally from designer and visualizer Olivier Demangel (I especially like this from near the end: “[P]erhaps you could have an empty room in your future house dedicated to VR? You could choose a different interior every day, like the Star Trek holodeck”). The interview is from Dezeen, where it includes lots of pictures, most comparing ‘real’ photos of a specific house with virtual versions, along with 3 videos. –Matthew] [Image: Ty Hedfan table, real (left) and virtual (right)] Virtual-reality architecture will be “more powerful than cocaine” Posted on Monday, April…

[This raises all kinds of possibilities for presence experiences… it’s from The Creators Project, where the story includes more images and a 3:14 minute video. For more information see coverage in The Next Web and the xxArray Kickstarter page. –Matthew] [Image: Donovan Leitch getting ready to be captured by the xxArray] You Can Finally Become a Video Game Character Thanks to 3D Scanning By Beckett Mufson — Apr 23 2015 When you boot up GTA V, do you play as Michael, Trevor, or Franklin? Soon that may not matter, thanks to Alexx Henry’s new “3D scanner for the masses,” the…

[An interesting example of the use of presence to inform and persuade; this is from Road to VR, where the story includes more images and two videos; more details and previews are available from Western River Expeditions. –Matthew] [Image: 360 Labs’ waterproof 360º GoPro array by partner Freedom360] 360 Film Aims to Save Majesty of Grand Canyon Using the Power of VR, Kickstarter Now Live By Scott Hayden Apr 20, 2015 The untouched beauty of the Grand Canyon has inspired poets, novelists, film makers, and more than 4 million recreational visitors per year to make their way to the dramatic…

[An advertising executive in charge of innovation asks how digital designers will respond to the expansion of multi-touch, always-connected, internet-of-things technology. This is from The Guardian, where the column includes links to related stories. For more on the Amazon Dash button, see coverage in USA Today. –Matthew] [Image: The Amazon dash button is a small, branded tab that lets you order stuff by pressing a stick-on button. Photograph: Amazon] Amazon dash: Tech’s chance to be more Mary Poppins and less Minority Report In digital, we often underestimate the importance of real, tangible experiences. But as everyday objects connect to the…