[Here’s another very positive application of presence. The story is from Seattle Children’s, where the original includes more images; note the link at the end to a 2:32 minute demonstration video. –Matthew]

Doctor Creates Virtual Reality Simulation to Save Babies’ Lives

April 1, 2019
Lindsay Kurs

Wanting to do something different to address the alarmingly high number of newborn deaths in low income countries, Dr. Rachel Umoren, a neonatologist at Seattle Children’s, turned to virtual reality (VR).

As mobile phone-based VR programs became increasingly accessible, Umoren thought the emerging technology could offer a better way to equip health care providers with the skills necessary to save babies’ lives in low- and middle-income countries with high neonatal mortality rates.

Her case was compelling: with mobile VR training, providers could learn and easily maintain new skills at their own convenience, on their own smartphone, and with game-based automated feedback that is ideal for learning.… read more. “Doctor creates virtual reality simulation to save newborn babies’ lives”

[A biometric meditation tool that uses VR/AR and presence to reduce anxiety and stress is receiving a lot of attention. See the original version of this VR Fitness Insider story for a 4:11 minute video and a second image. Coverage in Haptic.al cites studies in Frontiers in Psychology and the Journal of Neuroregulation that “showed Healium reduced moderate anxiety and increased feelings of positivity in as little as four minutes.” And a story in Startland profiles company founder and CEO Sarah Hill and what led her to develop Healium; it also notes that “StoryUP has partnered with 28 airlines — including British and Alaska Airways — to bring the Healium experience to passengers on long flights and reduce the situational stress often induced by air travel.” –Matthew]

Healium Helps You De-Stress in VR Using Your Brain and Heart Rate

By Gabe Gurwin
January 30, 2019

Healium wants you to calm down with VR and AR

You can use virtual reality for some of the most exciting experiences in interactive media.… read more. “Healium helps you de-stress in VR/AR using your brain and heart rate”

[MediaPost reports on OmniVirt’s new 3D Photo format that evokes a subtle presence effect – follow the first link in the story for the 3D version of the ‘Pet Sematary’ ad and see the 3D Photo Creator for more examples and to create your own photos for ads and FB posts. For more information on Facebook 3D photos see coverage in Tom’s Guide. –Matthew]

OmniVirt’s Creepy 3D Banner Ad For ‘Pet Sematary’: Mangy Cat Keeps Watching You!

by P.J. Bednarski
April 4, 2019

When Stephen King’s spooky “Pet Sematary” film (a remake of the 1989 version) opens on Friday, you should keep an on eye on the banner ad you see for the Paramount movie — because that ad will be keeping an eye on you.

Working with the AR/VR immersive ad platform OmniVirt’s new 3D Photo Ads, the banner for “Pet Sematary” shows a decidedly scruffy cat whose head seems to move a little as you do, as if it’s watching you.… read more. “OmniVirt’s creepy 3D banner ad for ‘Pet Sematary’: Mangy cat keeps watching you!”

[Virtual reality and the sense of spatial and especially social presence that it can create is ideal for immersive language learning, as explored in this story from the Los Angeles Times; see the original version for two more pictures. –Matthew]

[Image: Immerse is a virtual reality language-learning tutoring platform that launched in February. It currently focuses on helping companies in Taiwan teach Mandarin-speaking employees English but has plans to expand. Credit: Photo courtesy of Immerse.]

Believing virtual reality is a promising tool for learning languages, companies, colleges invest

By Ada Tseng
April 3, 2019

When Quinn Taber was growing up in Paris, his parents did humanitarian work with refugees abroad, so his family moved around a lot.

“I have all these memories of how I’d be in a new part of the Middle East where I didn’t know the language,” says Taber, founder and CEO of Irvine-based virtual reality language-learning company, Immerse.… read more. “Believing VR is a promising tool for learning languages, companies and colleges invest”

[Digital Bodies reports on an amazing facility for studying presence and raises interesting questions about the future of large-scale VR and MR. See the original version of this story for a second image and a 7:13 minute video.–Matthew]

Elbedome: Europe’s Largest VR Lab

By Emory Craig
April 3, 2019

If you like virtual reality or 3D experiences, then Europe’s largest VR lab is definitely where you want to be. It would be a storyteller’s or gamer’s paradise, except that the facility is designed for use with industrial models.

Developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation, Elbedome is a cylinder-shaped space located in Magdeburg, Germany. It was built in 2006 as a 3D projection sphere and recently upgraded.

In 2018, the system was extensively modernized and expanded to create a 3D mixed-reality laboratory. Now featuring stereoscopic video technology and a combined panorama and floor projection surface of over 450 square meters in area, this facility is able to create VR scenarios in genuine 3D.… read more. “Elbedome: Europe’s Largest VR Lab”