[Here’s a nice first-person description of already-available presence experiences (even if the term isn’t used), and technology tweaks that would enhance them; it’s from VentureBeat, where it includes lots more pictures. Get the Street View app for IOS or Android here. –Matthew] Hands-on with Google Street View on Cardboard: Goodbye, productivity Jordan Novet October 12, 2015 I just went to Fiji. No, not literally. I took a mini vacation in Google Street View. I was able to look around 360 degrees in a bunch of places using the OnePlus Cardboard virtual reality (VR) headset, based on the Google Cardboard VR system.…

[This high-end simulator attraction sounds like it creates a compelling sense of presence. The story is from designboom, where you’ll find many more images and two videos: ‘Making Of’ and a trailer for the attraction. –Matthew] Sensorama opens an immersive virtual reality ride in Brazil September 21, 2015 Sensorama has announced the launch of ‘VIX’, Brazil’s advanced immersive attraction. It’s a 24 person ride that straps passengers on a sensory experience of an underwater voyage. As the ride accelerates through a narrow passage of land, guests will feel their hair blowing in the wind, simulating the sensation of levitating through…

[There’s a lot to figure out about how best to use presence for education (at all ages), but there are encouraging developments; the story is from The New York Times, where it features a 1:34 minute video from Google. –Matthew] [Image: Students using Google Expeditions, via a cardboard viewer and a smartphone, at Bronx Latin High School in New York. Credit: Andrew Federman/Bronx Latin High School.] Google Virtual-Reality System Aims to Enliven Education By Natasha Singer September 28, 2015 As part of a class last year on “Romeo and Juliet,” Jennie Choi, an English teacher at Mariano Azuela Elementary School…

[Apparently the little-known company Uncorporeal has figured out how to jump across the ‘uncanny valley’ in VR to produce more effective presence experiences. This story is from Wired, where it includes another image and two videos. There’s not much there at this writing, but the company’s website is uncorporeal.com –Matthew] [Image: The geometric data gathered by Uncorporeal’s cameras and processing hardware results in a data mesh that can be placed in any game environment built in Unity 3D.] These FX Wizards May Have Solved VR Films’ Biggest Problem Peter Rubin October 7, 2015 Sebastian Marino already has an Academy Award…

[The ‘magic’ of Disney technology; this story is from Business Standard; a 1:59 minute video is available on YouTube, the original press release is available via EurekAlert!, and the conference paper is available from Disney Research. –Matthew] New Disney app turns coloured drawings into 3D characters Press Trust of India | Washington October 4, 2015 A colouring book app devised by researchers at Disney can cause characters from drawings to leap from the page in 3-D with the help of augmented reality. A child colours a character, such as an elephant, on the book page normally, while a tablet or…

[Fascinating debates are ahead as technologies increasingly mimic human social actors; this is from Phys.org. –Matthew] [Image: Pepper is described as an “engaging, friendly companion that can communicate with people through the most intuitive interface we know: voice, touch and emotions.” Credit: Aldebaran, SoftBank, Corp.] Incident of drunk man kicking humanoid robot raises legal questions October 2, 2015 by Lisa Zyga A few weeks ago, a drunk man in Japan was arrested for kicking a humanoid robot that was stationed as a greeter at a SoftBank, Corp., store, which develops the robots. According to the police report, the man said…