[Some relatively simple uses of presence can save lives; this story is from The Architects Newspaper, where it features other images; coverage in Mashable notes that India’s transport minister tweeted on April 27 that the country will be trying out the 3D paintings, and that the use of optical illusions as speed breakers was first pioneered in Philadelphia. For more on the use of road design illusions created to increase safety, see a 2014 story from BBC News. –Matthew] 3D “zebra crossings” stop drivers in their tracks By Jason Sayer April 21, 2016 Earlier this year, it was reported that…

[It looks like in addition to the many other telepresence technology formats from phones to rooms, telepresence robots will become increasingly common; this story is from Inverse, where it includes a very short video of the early Greenman Teleperated Humanoid system mentioned. –Matthew] [Image: From VGo: “Despite a diagnosis of lymphoma resulting in a bone-marrow transplant that’s left her bed-bound in the Children’s Hospital, 13-year-old Cookie Topp is going to school, doing her homework and meeting with her friends.”] Telepresence Robots May Be Awkward Now, but Expect More of Them by 2020 Research group Tractica projects a 50 percent increase…

[This story from The Verge describes two projects that use presence to take us to Chernobyl, with likely powerful impact; the original story includes a 3:40 minute interactive trailer for The Chernobyl VR Project and a 0:57 minute interactive trailer for Chornobyl 360. For more on the former, see coverage in Raw Story and YouTube for a 4:47 minute video; for more on the latter, see coverage in U.S. News. –Matthew] Watch the trailers for two Chernobyl VR interactive documentaries By Adi Robertson on April 26, 2016 Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine — the…

[Headset-based VR is becoming a ‘hot’ medium in Marshall McLuhan’s use of the term, but as discussed in this story from The Verge (which has more pictures), it’s not the only, or necessarily the most effective, way to evoke intense presence illusions. –Matthew] [Image: Person being helped into the Famous Deaths installation at the Tribeca Film Festival.] What’s virtual reality without a headset? Tribeca Film Festival installations push our definitions of VR By Adi Robertson on April 21, 2016 My first thought, when I see someone roll into the Famous Deaths morgue freezer, is I’m sure glad they don’t lock…

[Presence isn’t referenced explicitly in this interesting piece from Forbes about the role of VR in the music industry, but both applications discussed – VR as an experience and a tool – involve evoking compelling presence illusions. –Matthew] [Image: A screenshot of StubHub’s immersive virtual-reality content that gives ticket buyers a full, 3D preview of available seats. (Photo courtesy of Re/code)] Virtual Reality In The Music Industry Needs To Be A Tool, Not Just An Experience Cherie Hu, Contributor April 23, 2016 Last month, I found myself at the Made in NY Media Center in Brooklyn, testing a prototype of…

[It’s easy to be blasé about technology events, but this surgery experienced remotely in VR in real time by thousands of people around the world last week is pretty amazing. Our colleague Skip Rizzo is quoted extensively in this story from CNN, which features a photo gallery and a 1:00 minute interactive video. –Matthew] Step in the operating room, wherever you are in the world By Meera Senthilingam, for CNN Thursday April 21, 2016 (CNN) All you need is a headset and smartphone to enter a virtual world of gaming, movies, travel — and now surgery. Health care company Medical…