[This story about a new production designed to evoke a greater sense of presence in historical events is from The Hollywood Reporter; the experiences are available at DiscoverVR.com and a press release is available via Broadway World. –Matthew] [Image: Chris Gordaneer/Courtesy of AHC Discovery’s American Heroes Channel Plans Virtual Reality Civil War Experience (Exclusive) The immersive segment takes an 1865 Confederate cadet dodging enemy fire in muddy trenches from 2D to 360 degrees. November 28, 2016 by Etan Vlessing The Discovery-owned American Heroes Channel is bringing the Civil War from 2D to 360 degrees with a virtual reality experience.…

[Perspective is key to effective presence illusions; this story is from Digital Trends, where it includes a 0:32 minute video and four more images. –Matthew] City VR Will Give You a Giant’s Perspective of the World’s Biggest Cities By Luke Dormehl September 30, 2016 Ever dreamed of getting your Godzilla or Stay Puft Marshmallow Man on and stalking through a city, towering high above its buildings? The founder of cutting-edge Silicon Valley virtual reality studio Amber Garage certainly did. As a kid, Botao Hu, aka Amber, fantasized about this scenario. Well, jump forward a decade and successful stints as a…

[This story from Psychology Today highlights some of the promise and especially the controversial perils of technologies that produce increasingly higher levels of presence. –Matthew] [Image: Debradacija/Shutterstock] Warped Reality What will it mean when millions of people play—and kill—in virtual reality? By Andrew Rosenblum, published on September 5, 2016 – last reviewed on November 25, 2016 It’s 1944. You’re an American G.I. on the Pacific island of Peleliu and a Japanese tank is creeping your way. You aim your bazooka and pull the trigger, sending the tank flying in a cloud of fire and molten steel. Somebody yells, “One down,…

[Drones with cameras can provide the user with a sense of spatial presence, but Robot Drone Man can also provide both the user and people who encounter the device with a sense of social presence. This story is from IEEE Spectrum, where it includes an additional image and a 0:55 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Ilhan Bae/KAIST] Behind the Music: How “Robot Drone Man” Built His Flying Avatar By Evan Ackerman Posted 7 Nov 2016 The most entertaining video we posted on Video Friday a couple weeks ago was almost certainly Robot Drone Man, a parody of this PPAP (Pen Pineapple…

[One of the reasons I think presence is so interesting and important is that it’s extending into nearly all of our activities, in this case an American holiday tradition. This story is from Digital Trends, where the original includes an interactive 1:36 minute behind-the-scenes video. Check out the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade website for more information. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Shinya Suzuki / Flickr] Turkey Day Tradition Gets Update: Macy’s Parade Adds 360 Broadcast, VR App By Hillary Grigonis — November 22, 2016 A Thanksgiving tradition is getting a modern upgrade — this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be broadcast…

[Technology is poised to provide doctors and patients with increasingly more compelling presence experiences of unborn babies; this press release is from the Radiological Society of North America via EurekAlert; more information, including additional pictures and two videos is available from the Daily Mail, and coverage from NBC raises some key concerns about how the new technology will be used. –Matthew] [Image: A 3-D virtual model MRI view of fetus at 26 weeks. Credit: Radiological Society Of North America.] Researchers generate 3-D virtual reality models of unborn babies Public Release: 21-Nov-2016 Source: Radiological Society of North America CHICAGO – Parents…