[The line between ‘real’ and virtual continues to blur, this time in the fashion industry; this story is from Fashionista, where it includes more images. –Matthew] [Image: @shudu.gram/Instagram] Are Computer-Generated Influencers About to Take Over the Beauty Industry? Cool or creepy? Stephanie Saltzman Feb 10, 2018 The concept of the Instagram model is so pervasive today that just hearing the phrase evokes a hyper-specific look. Instagram models have an immediately striking appearance: mesmerizing eyes, killer cheekbones, sometimes an ambiguous ethnic makeup and, of course, perfectly plump lips. In short, they represent the perfect storm of great genetics, fillers and filters.…

[This story from VentureBeat is an overview of current and future uses of virtual reality and presence (mentioned explicitly) to help people recover from and cope with physical and psychological limitations. See the original story for several more pictures and two videos. –Matthew] [Image: The Parkinson’s virtual support group members have been meeting in the virtual world, Second Life, for seven years] VR can already help people heal — and it’s just the beginning Lisa Peyton, an immersive media strategist and media psychologist focusing on the business applications of new technologies. February 10, 2018 Fran gracefully glides around the grand…

[A clever invention called the Canetroller developed at Microsoft uses haptic and audio feedback like those provided by a real cane to create presence experiences for the visually impaired. This short story from MSPoweruser includes a 4:45 minute video; follow the link to the full paper at the end for much more information. For other technology developments for the visually impaired see Perkins eLearning. –Matthew] Microsoft creates novel cane controller which lets visually impaired navigate in VR by Surur @mspoweruser Jan 23, 2018 While virtual reality would seem an opportunity to create a brand new interface for the visually impaired…

[This story from People doesn’t use the term presence but it’s all about using technology to transport audiences into another person’s environment and experience. The original story includes a video featuring Laird Hamilton, and see YouTube for an interactive 360 video of “Take Every Wave” and the LifeVR website for more information about this and related presence projects. –Matthew] Ride a 100-Foot Wave with Laird Hamilton in the Surf Legend’s New Virtual Reality Experience Reagan Alexander February 13, 2018 You are not Laird Hamilton. You don’t ride 100 foot waves on a whim. You don’t travel around the world to…

[Here’s a positive scenario for the near-future use of a combination of presence-evoking technologies in schools; it’s from The Washington Post. –Matthew] [Image: People look through Samsung Gear VR virtual reality goggles at the Samsung booth during CES International on Jan. 9 in Las Vegas. (John Locher/AP)] The future of education is virtual By Vivek Wadhwa, Distinguished Fellow and professor at Carnegie Mellon University Engineering at Silicon Valley and a director of research at Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization at Duke University. January 23, 2018 Massive open online courses (MOOCs) were supposed to bring a revolution in education.…

[As described in the news release below, new 4-D goggles developed by neuroscientists at the University of California San Diego “deliver immersive multisensory effects near the face and enhance the sense of presence.”—Matthew] [Image: 4-D goggles developed at UC San Diego. Photo by Ching-fu Chen] New ‘4-D Goggles’ Allow Wearers to be ‘Touched’ by Approaching Objects By Kim McDonald February 08, 2018 A team of researchers at UC San Diego and San Diego State University has developed a pair of “4-D goggles” that allows wearers to be physically “touched” by a movie when they see a looming object on the…