[Presence as immersion and transportation are highlighted in this story about a new VR attraction; the original version from TimeOut Los Angeles includes several more images and a short video. For more on the development of the feature “The Blu: Deep Rescue” (and for a video trailer) see coverage in Variety, and for a 4:23 minute video report and a 9 minute podcast on the opening of the attraction see coverage from KTLA in Los Angeles. –Matthew] In the virtual reality Dreamscape, you literally walk through the screen of your own movie By Michael Juliano December 14 2018 You can play…

[This story from the Georgia Straight describes an interesting, and aptly named, music performance designed by two Canadian artists. For more information, including bios and a 1:43 minute video, see the venue’s website; even more details are available in coverage by The Source. –Matthew] Telepresence brings immersive virtual reality to concert setting by Alexander Varty December 12th, 2018 We can’t quite explain what you’re going to see if you go to Telepresence, an adventurous virtual-reality undertaking at the Western Front this weekend, but we can promise you this: it won’t be like anything you’ve seen before. The brainchild of media…

[Peter Jackson’s new WWI documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” illustrates the power of film to evoke several types of presence. The film’s website and trailer feature these three quotes from reviewers: “Heart-breaking immediacy,” “A deeply human experience,” and “A haunting and moving lesson in how to bring the past vividly alive.” The trailer text concludes with “Travel back in time to experience history with those who were actually there.” The story below from The New York Times describes how the film was created and includes more references to presence as well as five brief “before and after” clips. More information…

[The new product described in this story from UploadVR suggests a coming evolution of presence-evoking technology that will more powerfully and seamlessly measure and manipulate the user’s experience, with both potentially amazing positive and frightening negative consequences. For more information see the VRgineers website. –Matthew] XTAL Ultra High-End VR Headset Adds Neurable’s Emotion Analysis By Ian Hamilton December 10th, 2018 A new partnership between Neurable and VRgineers adds the former’s “brain sensors” to the ultra high-end XTAL VR headset. We tried out Neurable last year, a system which places EEG (Electroencephalography) sensors along the interior of a VR headset’s strap…

[There are clear benefits to using presence-evoking technologies for the training described in this story from Federal News Network. Tthe original story includes a 2:43 minute video (also available via YouTube) and for more details see the Navy’s press release. –Matthew] Using virtual reality to train for one of the Navy’s most dangerous jobs By Scott Maucione December 13, 2018 Flight deck operations on an aircraft carrier have been described as a ballet of chaos. It’s an apt description for one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. The flight deck crew is responsible for assisting the takeoff and…

[The art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast has a new immersive installation in London, as described in this story from The National (see the original for more pictures and two videos). The creators provide some insights about how to design effective and impactful presence experiences as the available technology improves. The new installation We Live in an Ocean of Air extends the environmental themes of earlier MLF works covered in ISPR Presence News, Treehugger: Wawona and In the Eyes of the Animal. –Matthew] The virtual-reality art show that seeks to repair our ‘broken connection with nature’ We Live in an Ocean…