[The interview with Suzanne Gildert below from PC Magazine is about human-like robots and medium-as-social-actor presence responses to them, embodiment, AI and machine learning, teleoperation and its after-effects, human-robot and robot-human cyborgs, the power of (science) fiction portrayals, and more. See the original version for 4 more pictures, and for more information, images and videos see Dr. Gildert’s website and her Singularity University faculty page. –Matthew]

[Image: Dr. Gildert and Nadine play Connect Four. Source/credit: Daniel Marquardt and Sanctuary AI 2019)]

These Human-Like ‘Synths’ Will Make You Do a Double Take

Dr. Suzanne Gildert, Founder and CEO of Vancouver-based Sanctuary, wants her robots, known as synths, to be as life-like as possible. We talked to her about building cognitive machines and why she created a synth that looks just her.

By S.C. Stuart
July 22, 2019

There are now many types of robots and just as many theories on how to build them, but Dr.… read more. “These human-like ‘Synths’ will make you do a double take”

[This story from The Salt Lake Tribune illustrates one of the most important applications of presence, helping people who need to be understood and those who need to understand others. See also a (very positive) review in The Utah Review and for more on “Hi, my name is Savannah” see coverage in Medium. –Matthew]

[Image: Savannah, a 15-year-old LGBTQ activist, delivers the coming-out testimony she wasn’t allowed to give at her church meeting in Eagle Mountain in 2017, in the VR short film “Savannah,” which is being shown at the Damn These Heels LGBTQ Film Festival in Salt Lake City, July 12-14, 2019. Credit: Carol Dalrymple]

Savannah couldn’t finish telling her Latter-day Saint ward she is a lesbian. Now you can see her full testimony in virtual reality.

By Julie Hirschi
Published: July 12; updated: July 14, 2019

The girl steps up to the lectern and begins, simply, “Hi, my name is Savannah.”… read more. “Immersive art installation helps visitors experience and empathize with LGBTQ journeys”

[Here’s a clever way to evoke social presence with a houseplant; the short story is from Curbed, where it includes three different images. The Mu Design press kit notes that “Lua also includes a motion sensor that allows its eyes to follow the movements in front of them: it’s like Lua’s looking at you! Give a spark of life to your plants and evolve them into full-fledged pets with Lua!” See the Indiegogo page for more information including pictures and a 1:00 minute video (also available via Vimeo). See the Mu-Design website for information on the company’s first product: “Ulo is a cute surveillance camera, a pet owl interacting with you through eye expressions.” And for more coverage of anthropomorphism see a 2017 story in Quartz. –Matthew]

Smart planter has a screen that displays your plant’s ‘feelings’

Who knew plants could feel so much?… read more. “Smart planter has a screen that displays your plant’s ‘feelings’”

[Discover reports on a new advance in haptic VR gloves that should enhance presence; coverage in Science includes an 8 second video and follow the link to the paper in Scientific Reports for much more information. For coverage of a related project, see an October 2018 post in ISPR Presence News. –Matthew]

This New Virtual Reality Glove Lets You Grab Digital Objects

By Bill Andrews
July 18, 2019

Our squishy human brains are notoriously easy to fool. Whether it’s optical illusions or more advanced trickery, it doesn’t take much to exploit our mind’s weaknesses. But, that’s also what enables virtual reality (VR) systems, where technology can effectively transport us to a digital world. And thanks to a newly developed VR glove, the effect might soon be better than ever.

A team of engineers in Korea has designed the new device, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a lightweight and flexible glove that can effectively mimic the sensations of manipulating digital objects.… read more. “This new virtual reality glove lets you grab digital objects”

[From privacy to mental health, a new (free) report examines the dangers of “extended reality” technologies. There’s a link at the end of this story from Forbes to a summary of the report and the full downloadable pdf version. The original story includes a 5:48 minute video, and the report summary includes several graphics, a different video and a 13-slide presentation. –Matthew]

[Image: Credit: Adobe Stock]

The Important Risks And Dangers Of Virtual And Augmented Reality

July 17, 2019
Bernard Marr, Contributor

A recent report by Accenture highlighted the growing number of companies taking advantage of “extended reality” (XR) technology, which includes virtual and augmented reality (VR/ AR).

Titled ‘Waking Up to a New Reality: Building a Responsible Future for Immersive Technologies,’ the report highlights the need to consider not just the opportunities but also the dangers they could pose.… read more. “New (free) report: “Building a Responsible Future for Immersive Technologies””