[The mixed reality room described in this Engadget story looks like it creates compelling presence illusions (a Mashable video says it “could have you questioning what’s reality”). See the original story for two videos including the 3:11 minute demo video mentioned (also available on Vimeo). For more, see the Theoriz website and Vimeo page, and a related post from February 2016 in ISPR Presence News. –Matthew]

Théoriz recreates the Holodeck with AR tech and projectors

A French company has created a new kind of dramatic, Illumiroom-like reality.

Steve Dent
June 28, 2017

If you had to list the most mind-blowing tech demos in recent memory, Microsoft’s Hololens AR headset would need to be included, as would its projector-enhanced Illumiroom. A company called Théoriz from Lyon, France has married both of those things to create a “mixed reality room” that uses projector tech, motion tracking and augmented reality together.… read more. “Theoriz recreates the Holodeck with AR tech and projectors”

[This story from Quartz succinctly lays out the key ethical questions raised by medium-as-social-actor presence; the answers depend on our understanding of human nature and the malleability of our behavior. The emphasis is on the peril rather than promise – the author doesn’t say much about the potential advantages of human-like technologies (which include for me, the reduced likelihood of my damaging them in a fleeting moment of anger). The original version of the story includes two videos. –Matthew]

[Image: Would you punch a printer? What if it looked like you? (Office Space/20th Century Fox)]

Is it unethical to design robots to resemble humans?

By David Ryan Polgar
June 22, 2017
More from Quartz: Machines with Brains

Three men deliver an endless assault of kicks as the victim lies motionless on the grass. With venom in their eyes, one of the perpetrators delivers a crushing blow with a wooden bat.… read more. “Is it unethical to design robots to resemble humans?”

[As this story from Digit notes, using VR for human-human weddings is one thing but using it for human-virtual character weddings is quite another. The original story includes other images and two videos; for background see coverage in RocketNews24; for more details about the ceremony see coverage in VR Scout (where the story says 100 men have participated); and for a story about a man who married his smartphone in Las Vegas in 2016, see Oddity Central. –Matthew]

[Image: Source: Grape]

Japanese men are tying the knot with their favourite Anime characters in VR weddings

Yes, someone actually married an Anime character in a virtual reality wedding ceremony! The man kissed a rubber doll at the end of the ceremony and his VR wife now lives inside of a HTC Vive VR headset.

By Adamya Sharma
Published Date:  06 – Jul – 2017

We knew virtual reality weddings were becoming a thing.… read more. “Japanese men are marrying Anime characters in VR weddings”

[Complex ethical and other challenging issues related to medium-as-social-actor presence are raised in a new report from the Foundation for Responsible Robotics (FRR). This story is from The Guardian, where it features a 16:25 minute video; for more information see coverage by BBC News, which includes several links and a 1:46 audio clip. –Matthew]

[Image: Catalan nanotechnology engineer Sergi Santos holds the head of Samantha, a sex doll packed with artificial intelligence providing her the capability to respond to different scenarios and verbal stimulus, in his house in Rubi, north of Barcelona, Spain, March 31, 2017. Source: REUTERS/Albert Gea]

Sex robots promise ‘revolutionary’ service but also risks, says study

Androids could offer valuable help to the elderly and disabled but may lead to the increased objectification of women

Haroon Siddique
Tuesday 4 July 2017

Sex robots have the potential to provide a valuable service for people who are elderly, disabled or who find intercourse traumatic, but they also carry ethical risks, experts say.… read more. “Sex robots promise ‘revolutionary’ service but also risks, says study”

[Queen’s Brian May is a VR innovator and the rock group has launched a new 3-song virtual concert film, as detailed in this short story from Digital Trends. Follow the VRTGO link for a preview and for more information (including two videos, one with May discussing his Owl VR kit, and a comment from Morton Heilig) see coverage from last year in Music Ally. And for even more, see a story in Creators about the earlier Bohemian Rhapsody Experience, available for IOS and Android.  –Matthew]

Queen Will Rock You in Virtual Reality Concert Film ‘VR The Champions’

By Brad Jones
Posted on July 3, 2017

For more than 40 years, Queen has been one of the biggest rock acts around, selling out shows all around the world. Now, fans can experience a live performance by the band as never before, thanks to the release of a new virtual reality concert film dubbed VR the Champions.… read more. “Queen will rock you in ‘VR The Champions’”