ISPR Presence News

Monthly Archives: August 2017

Call: Technology for Bonding in Human-Animal Interaction – ACI 2017 Workshop

By Matthew Lombard | Published: August 3, 2017

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

Technology for Bonding in Human-Animal Interaction

Workshop at ACI 2017 conference at Open University, Milton Keynes, UK
Workshop date: 21.11.2017
Workshop website: www.turre.fi/tech4bonding
Information on ACI 2017 conference: www.aci2017.org

Contribution statements through an online questionnaire: September 11th, 2017

WHAT IS THIS WORKSHOP ABOUT? [See detailed Background section below too]

Technology offers exciting new opportunities for supporting and expanding human-animal interaction and bonding. What is related to these opportunities and how to design for bonding?

We invite you to this 1-day workshop at the ACI 2017 conference to explore and discuss the following questions as well as ideate how to enhance and expand human-animal interaction and bonding with technology:

  • What characterizes the human-animal interaction and bonding? What are their elements?
  • How might ACI enhance bonding in human-animal interaction?
  • What are the potential benefits, pitfalls and impacts of technology in this area?
… read more. “Call: Technology for Bonding in Human-Animal Interaction – ACI 2017 Workshop”
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New VR attractions let you walk on girders above or take a slide down 72 floors at London’s The Shard

By Matthew Lombard | Published: August 3, 2017

[I always enjoy visiting attractions that provide views from high above (e.g., Philadelphia’s One Liberty Observation Deck) but The Shard in London has taken things further, as reported in this story from the Evening Standard (where it includes several more pictures). For more information, Business Insider has a 1:31 minute summary video and Londonist has a story featuring a 2:30 minute viral video of a woman on the Slide attraction. Details and tickets are available directly from The View From The Shard’s website. Information about an earlier VR experience of the same building is available from Visualise. –Matthew]

You can now slide around the Shard… in virtual reality

Fasten your seat belts for a spin around the Shard… but put your virtual reality goggles on first

Mark Blunden
July 27, 2017

If you’ve ever wished that London’s tallest building was a giant helter-skelter, today is — almost — your lucky day.… read more. “New VR attractions let you walk on girders above or take a slide down 72 floors at London’s The Shard”

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Call: Game Studies Area: 2018 PCA/ACA National Conference

By Matthew Lombard | Published: August 2, 2017

Call for Papers

Game Studies Area: 2018 PCA/ACA National Conference
March 28 -31, 2018
Indianapolis, Indiana
http://conference.pcaaca.org/

Deadline: October 1, 2017

The Game Studies area of the National Popular Culture Association and the American Culture Association Conference invites proposals for papers and panels on games and game studies for the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference to be held Wednesday, March 28 through Friday, March 31, 2018 at the J.W. Marriott in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Below, please find:

I. Topics of Interest
II. Suggestions for First Time Submitters
III. Submission Process
IV. Information about the Conference
V. Contact Information

—–… read more. “Call: Game Studies Area: 2018 PCA/ACA National Conference”

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Negotiating chatbots fool users, invent language, raise fears of AI

By Matthew Lombard | Published: August 2, 2017

[This story from Gizmodo is as interesting for the presence result it reports – “The performance of [Facebook researchers’] best negotiation agent… matched that of human negotiators” – as for what it says about our fears of technology-based social actors. See the original story for an animated graphic and the Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research blog post for a detailed explanation of the research (a key quote: “Interestingly, in the FAIR experiments, most people did not realize they were talking to a bot rather than another person”). –Matthew]

No, Facebook Did Not Panic and Shut Down an AI Program That Was Getting Dangerously Smart

Tom McKay
July 31, 2017

In recent weeks, a story about experimental Facebook machine learning research has been circulating with increasingly panicky, Skynet-esque headlines.

“Facebook engineers panic, pull plug on AI after bots develop their own language,” one site wrote.… read more. “Negotiating chatbots fool users, invent language, raise fears of AI”

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Call: Virtual Medicine: Best Practices in Medical Virtual Reality

By Matthew Lombard | Published: August 1, 2017

VIRTUAL MEDICINE
Best Practices in Medical Virtual Reality

March 29, 2018
8:00 am – 5:30 pm

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles

https://www.virtualmedicine.org/

SPEAKERS

Daniel Kraft
Chair of Medicine / Singularity University

Brennan Spiegel
Director of Health Services Research / Cedars-Sinai

Arshya Vahabzadeh
Chief Medical Officer / Brain Power

Skip Rizzo
Director for Medical Virtual Reality / USC Institute for Creative Technologies

Rafael Grossmann
Tedx & Exponential Medicine faculty / Medical Futurist

David Rhew
Chief Medical Officer / Samsung Electronics America

COURSE DESCRIPTION & EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

Not so far in the future, doctors might prescribe a virtual beach vacation to calm aches and pains, in lieu of taking a pill. Insurance companies might offer scenic tours of Icelandic fjords to lower blood pressure, instead of doubling up on drugs. Psychiatrists might treat social phobia by immersing patients in a virtual dinner party.… read more. “Call: Virtual Medicine: Best Practices in Medical Virtual Reality”

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Why co-parenting with telepresence robots could be a fantastic idea

By Matthew Lombard | Published: August 1, 2017

[As the author of this intriguing article notes, it’ll be fascinating to see, and we should work to shape, how the uses of in-home telepresence robots evolve. The article is from IEEE Spectrum., where it includes links to related stories. –Matthew]

[Image: The Beam remote presence system, from Suitable Technologies, allows you to “beam in” and visit family members from anywhere. Social roboticist Heather Knight argues that such technology could become a valuable co-parenting tool. Credit: Suitable Technologies]

Why Co-Parenting With Telepresence Robots Could Be a Fantastic Idea

By Heather Knight
Posted 31 Jul 2017

There’s always something heart-wrenching when parents have to be far away from their children. Sometimes parents travel. Sometimes separated parents split time with the kids.

Maybe telepresence robots can help.

This article explores some of the potential benefits and challenges of using telepresence robots as a co-parenting tool.… read more. “Why co-parenting with telepresence robots could be a fantastic idea”

Posted in Presence in the News | 1 Comment

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