[The implications of this work for presence and beyond are the stuff of science fiction; the story is from New Scientist. –Matthew]

Animal brains connected up to make mind-melded computer

July 2015 by Jessica Hamzelou

Two heads are better than one, and three monkey brains can control an avatar better than any single monkey. For the first time, a team has networked the brains of multiple animals to form a living computer that can perform tasks and solve problems.

If human brains could be similarly connected, it might give us superhuman problem-solving abilities, and allow us to communicate abstract thoughts and experiences. “It is really exciting,” says Iyad Rahwan at the Masdar Institute in Dubai, UAE, who was not involved in the work. “It will change the way humans cooperate.”… read more. “Animal studies point to human brain-to-brain communication and collaboration”

[This application of VR could bring a planetarium’s entertaining and educational real-time, communal immersive experience to people around the world. I wonder if the inputs could eventually be live from an earth-based or even orbiting telescope… This story is from Astronomy Now and more details are in the press release from the Royal Astronomical Society. –Matthew]

[Image: An image of the sky above Edinburgh made using Stellarium open-source planetarium software. Users of the new headset will see a similar image, but will be totally immersed in the view. Image credit: A. Lawrence.]

Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2015 – report 3

By Kulvinder Singh Chadha
Posted on 8 July 2015

[Science writer and editor Kulvinder Singh Chadha presents his third report from the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting 2015 (NAM2015, Cyfarfod Seryddiaeth Cenedlaethol 2015). Around 500 astronomers and space scientists will gather at Venue Cymru in Llandudno, Wales, from 5-9 July, for the largest regular professional astronomy event in the UK — a conference that will see leading researchers from around the world presenting the latest work in a variety of fields.]… read more. “StarSightVR combines planetarium, VR tech to create immersive, real-time, distributed astronomy experience”

[A virtual job interview helps veterans and others get jobs – the study mentioned in this story from Motherboard (which includes more images and a 19:49 minute video) doesn’t refer explicitly to presence but it seems likely to play a role (the study is available here). -Matthew]

Virtual Reality Interview Training Helped Veterans With PTSD Get Job Offers

Ben Richmond, Contributing Editor
June 30, 2015

Job interviews are stressful for anyone, but for people who are prone to anxiety, or who have been diagnosed with PTSD or mental illness, they can be nightmares. That’s why a software company has built a training program specifically designed to get over this hurdle.

According to research just published in the journal Psychiatric Service, interviewing with a virtual director of human resources has proven to be extremely effective at helping users control their anxiety in a job interview.… read more. “VR interview training helped veterans with PTSD get job offers”

[It’d be interesting to compare people’s reactions to watching this video of a aerial views of Wimbledon, controlling the view on a smartphone or tablet, being immersed in the experience with Google Cardboard and using the even more immersive setup at Waterloo Station. The story below is from Sport Techie and includes the 2:29 minute video; details about the Waterloo setup (pictured) are in coverage from VR Scout. –Matthew]

Stella Artois Gives Viewers A Hawk’s-Eye-View In Virtual Reality Wimbledon Ad

July 5, 2015

Rufus the Hawk probably has a better view of the Wimbledon action than any person paying the steep £2,667 price for a men’s single seat.

For those that have not heard of the twitter star, Rufus is a hawk that patrols the skies over Wimbledon, guarding against pigeons that may interrupt the tennis tournament. Stella Artois, sponsor and official beer for Wimbledon, thought of using Rufus’ “bird’s-eye-view” in their latest virtual reality advertisement.… read more. “Fly over Wimbledon in Stella Artois VR ad”