[This story from ThinkProgress describes the origins and potential impacts of a VR documentary on a very serious topic, along with some of the design decisions used to shape the presence experiences of the viewer. For a first person report on the experience see coverage in Engadget, and for a report on other virtual and mixed reality experiences from Tribeca Immersive at the recent Tribeca Film Festival see coverage in CNET. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Engadget] Rape survivors’ stories told through virtual reality in new documentary Rape survivors, up close and personal. Jessica Goldstein, Culture Editor at ThinkProgress May 4, 2017…

[As this story from UA News notes, we’ll want future comparisons including with in-person sessions, but these results highlight the value of presence in a deeply emotional context. This sentence stands out: “In follow-up assessments, participants in the virtual reality group said they felt as if they were in a real room during the sessions, with real people who were going through similar experiences.” The original story includes three more images. –Matthew] Virtual Support Groups Help Grieving Spouses With Depression For older adults who can’t travel to attend a traditional grief support group, a virtual version may be the next…

[Omnipulse is another effort to not only add the sense of touch but increase the ‘haptic resolution’ of presence experiences; this story is from Road to VR, where it includes two short videos. –Matthew] This Pulsating ‘Haptic Skin’ is Somewhat Creepy, Mostly Awesome By Ben Lang May 9, 2017 Omnipulse is a new haptic technology out of Cornell’s Organic Robotics Lab which uses an array of embedded pneumatic actuators to create haptic feedback which feels quite ‘organic’ compared to the more ‘mechanical’ of many other haptic technologies out there. With the ability to form the flexible Omnipulse skin into arbitrary…

[The new real-time collaborative VR design system described in this story from Dezeen (which includes other images and a 1:27 minute video) allows people from anywhere to participate in VR or observe via AR; in coverage by Dexigner and elsewhere the collaboration is said to be “as if in the same room.” –Matthew] [Image: Source: YouTube] Seymourpowell demos VR software for collaboratively designing cars Rima Sabina Aouf May 8, 2017 London studio Seymourpowell‘s virtual-reality tool for automotive design allows people in various locations around the world to work together in real time. Debuted at last week’s London Motor Show, the…

[There are several interesting presence elements in this collaboration among a singer-songwriter, a graphic design lab and Nokia Bell Labs. The story is from New Scientist, where it includes two different images; for more information see the Raw Space Experience website and a press release at Rock Paper Scissors. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Axios] Augmented reality brings Beatie Wolfe’s new songs to life By Chelsea Whyte 5 May 2017 Can augmented reality bring ceremony back to the act of listening to an album? Singer-songwriter Beatie Wolfe certainly hopes so. At her latest album launch – from within an echoless room –…

[This story from Wired raises a host of important issues regarding the design and use of intense presence experiences. The original version includes an additional image and a 1:40 minute trailer for The Last Moments. –Matthew] [Image: A still from The Last Moments. The Dignitas nurse holds out the cup containing the lethal drug. Avril Furness] I ‘died’ in virtual reality at the assisted suicide clinic Dignitas The Last Moments experience simulates death in the Swiss clinic By Rowland Manthorpe 24 March 2017 Last week, I died in virtual reality. To be precise, I killed myself by consenting to an assisted…