[The evolution of AI and related technologies is raising new and interesting challenges for the designers of virtual assistants – to evoke the most effective presence responses, should the assistants be just functional or emotionally connect with users? How closely should they mimic human behavior? This story is from The Washington Post, where it features an additional image. –Matthew] [Image: Redmond, WASH. – A meeting of Microsoft Cortana’s writing team – which includes a poet, a novelist, a playwright, and a former tv writer. Leading the meeting is Deborah Harrison, Senior Content Developer, who talks with Chris O’Connor, also a…

[The idea, and the last sentence here, are unsettling, but this story from Scientific American considers the fascinating prospect that we and everything and everyone we know is a simulation designed as a presence illusion. For more on this topic, see (Tele)Presence and Simulation: Questions of Epistemology, Religion, Morality, and Mortality (pdf) by Jones, Lombard and Jasak. –Matthew] [Image: A scene from the film The Thirteenth Floor (IMDb entry). Source: The Ghost Diaries.] Are We Living in a Computer Simulation? High-profile physicists and philosophers gathered to debate whether we are real or virtual—and what it means either way By Clara…

[This story from MIT Technology Review raises interesting questions about the role of olfaction in perception and presence, and about how to test the effectiveness of artificially-generated odors. Follow the link at the end for the new article by David Harel. –Matthew] Turing Tests and the Problem of Artificial Olfaction Unlike sight and sound, smells have never been accurately reproduced. Now one researcher has begun to think seriously about how artificial olfaction might work. by Emerging Technology from the arXiv April 7, 2016 Here’s an interesting problem. When it comes to human senses, we’ve found ways to reproduce the look…

[Another potential application area for VR and presence; this story is from Inhabitat, where it features four more images. –Matthew]   IKEA’s new app lets you try out furniture in virtual reality by Julie M. Rodriguez April 6, 2016 Have you ever wanted to see how a new piece of furniture might look in your home before buying it? If IKEA has a say, that may soon be a normal part of your home shopping experience. The Swedish furniture giant just released a virtual reality app that will allow users to explore and customize their kitchen in a whole new…

[The results of this study by our colleagues at Stanford University support the argument of the Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm and of (tele)presence generally, that humans haven’t evolved (yet?) to respond in unique ways to technology. The story is from IEEE Spectrum’s Automaton blog where it includes a 1:33 minute video. Join us in Japan in June to see the paper presented at the International Communication Association (ICA) conference and for the ISPR preconference, “The Power of Presence: Using Telepresence Theory, Research and Applications to Enhance Mediated Communication Experiences in the 21st Century.” –Matthew] Touching a Robot’s ‘Intimate…

[This story from The Creators Project (where it includes more images and the mentioned video) describes a telepresence system that lets users transition easily between first and third person views with the goal – as noted in the Rekimoto Lab headline – of allowing “more effective telepresence collaborations.” –Matthew] [Image: A “ghost” user experiences the JackIn Space’s immersive remote point of view. Courtesy of Rekimoto Lab.] Take a Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes with POV-Altering Headgear Alyssa Buffenstein — March 26 2016 There’s a whole new meaning to the term “ghosting,” thanks to a new project called JackIn Space. A…