ISPR Presence News

Monthly Archives: August 2019

Call: Game Analysis Workshop (GAW) 2019

Call For Proposals

Game Analysis Workshop – GAW 2019
14-15 November 2019
TU Delft
Netherlands
http://game-analysis-workshop.org/call-for-proposals/

Extended deadline: September 20, 2019

Queries about the workshop: game.analysis.workshop@gmail.com

Gamelab (TU Delft), Centre for Education and Learning, University of Lincoln, the Cologne Game Lab (TH Köln), and the Welten Institute (Open University of the Netherlands) invite you to apply to a two-day, hands-on game analysis workshop.

WORKSHOP GOAL

In an attempt to develop a multidisciplinary game analysis methodology and toolkit, we are seeking a diverse spectrum of approaches to game analysis, which can also include critical evaluation of a game. By game analysis, we refer to a systematic and critical identification of structures, elements and qualities of a game or genre.

PROPOSAL FORMAT

Applicants should submit a concise description of their preferred method of game analysis, no more than 250 words in length. Approaches to game analysis can be formal, empirical or qualitative in nature and should speak to a broad audience while featuring the applicant’s home discipline.… read more. “Call: Game Analysis Workshop (GAW) 2019”

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Presence and the 12 mega themes that will drive our future world

[Several types of presence feature prominently in the ‘mega themes’ identified in this story from Forbes. As usual, the potential roles of presence represent both promise and peril. –Matthew]

The Twelve Mega Themes That Will Drive Our Future World

Sarwant Singh, Contributor
August 28, 2019

The blurring of the human-machine divide, the ability to immerse ourselves in new augmented/virtual/mixed reality worlds, the prospect of being able to recycle everything in our homes, the joys of having an intelligent assistant take over our chores at home and work, the dilemma over the double-edged sword that is data, the thrill of having companies personalize their services and products to suit our demands, the sheer convenience of being connected anytime-anywhere…

This is our exciting future predicts Frost & Sullivan’s Visionary Innovation Group as part of its futurecasting (now there’s a new word for the dictionaries!)… read more. “Presence and the 12 mega themes that will drive our future world”

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Job: Postdoc in Video Games for Cognitive Enhancement at Kochi University of Technology

Postdoctoral Position in Video Games for Cognitive Enhancement
Center for Human-Engaged Computing (CHEC)
Kochi University of Technology
Kochi, Japan

Application deadline: January 15, 2020

The Center for Human-Engaged Computing (CHEC) at Kochi University of Technology (KUT) is recruiting a highly motivated post-doctoral fellow (Research Associate) with a strong background in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) who is interested in multidisciplinary research (Video motion games, VR games, and neuroscience).

CHEC (http://xrenlab.com), directed by Prof. Xiangshi REN (http://xiangshiren.com), is one of the world’s leading HCI labs with a variety of research interests. HEC-related studies are concerned with the development of synergized interaction between humans and computers with a particular focus on human well-being. Currently, we focus on the study of engagement and aging issues. The fellow will lead studies on developing novel video motion and/or VR video motion games for elderly users and conducting neuroimaging studies.… read more. “Job: Postdoc in Video Games for Cognitive Enhancement at Kochi University of Technology”

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Journalism needs help – and mixed reality is coming to the rescue

[This VentureBeat story uses vivid examples to explain the potential of mixed reality and presence to enhance the psychological impact and the financial health of journalism. –Matthew]

[Image: The New York Times in augmented reality]

Journalism needs help — and mixed reality is coming to the rescue

Kenny Kline
August 26, 2019

Traditional print journalism is dying, fast. According to statistics published by Pew Research, hundreds of daily newspapers have been scratched off the national roster since the 1970s, and about a third of the United States’ largest papers have suffered layoffs since 2017. The industry is struggling to stay alive. We have short attention spans and closed wallets; readers would prefer to find their headlines on Facebook or The Skimm, rather than their local newspaper stand — if one still exists at all. Consumers today want news and entertainment that’s worth stopping an endless Twitter scroll for — news that’s interesting enough to make them, well, interested.… read more. “Journalism needs help – and mixed reality is coming to the rescue”

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Call: Workshop on Explainable AI in Automated Driving: A User-Centered Interaction Approach (at Automotive UI ’19)

Call for Papers

Workshop on Explainable AI in Automated Driving: A User-Centered Interaction Approach
At Automotive UI ’19, the 11th International ACM Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (https://www.auto-ui.org/19/)
Utrecht, the Netherlands
September 22, 2019
Workshop web site: https://sites.google.com/view/explainableai-autoui19/

Deadline for submissions: September 4, 2019
Response to authors: September 15, 2019
Camera ready submission deadline: September 20, 2019

We are pleased to announce that the Call for Papers for the Workshop on Explainable AI in Automated Driving: A User-Centered Interaction Approach is now open. This workshop will take place on September, 22nd 2019 in Utrecht, Netherlands. This workshop is hosted by the 11th International ACM Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications. You will find below some information about the workshop and how to join it.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

With the increasing use of automation, users tend to delegate more tasks to the machines.… read more. “Call: Workshop on Explainable AI in Automated Driving: A User-Centered Interaction Approach (at Automotive UI ’19)”

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New Double 3 robot makes telepresence easier than ever

[IEEE Spectrum reports on the latest advances in telepresence robots; see the original story for two other pictures and a 0:53 minute video. –Matthew]

New Double 3 Robot Makes Telepresence Easier than Ever

With mapping and semi-autonomous navigation, even you can drive a Double 3

By Evan Ackerman
August 27, 2019

Today, Double Robotics is announcing Double 3, the latest major upgrade to its line of consumer(ish) telepresence robots. We had a (mostly) fantastic time testing out Double 2 back in 2016. One of the things that we found out back then was that it takes a lot of practice to remotely drive the robot around. Double 3 solves this problem by leveraging the substantial advances in 3D sensing and computing that have taken place over the past few years, giving their new robot a level of intelligence that promises to make telepresence more accessible for everyone.… read more. “New Double 3 robot makes telepresence easier than ever”

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Job: Postdoc position in Human-Robot Interaction, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

[Fyi, see also earlier post in ISPR Presence News. –ML]

Postdoc position in Human-Robot Interaction, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm

Application deadline: September 13, 2019

We are looking for a postdoc to conduct research in a multidisciplinary expedition project funded by Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP), Sweden’s largest individual research program, addressing compelling research topics that promise disruptive innovations in AI, autonomous systems and software for several years to come.

The project combines Formal Methods and Human-Robot Interaction with the goal of moving from conventional correct-by-design control with simple, static human models towards the synthesis of correct-by-design and socially acceptable controllers that consider complex human models based on empirical data. Two demonstrators, an autonomous driving scenario and a mobile robot navigation scenario in crowded social spaces, are planned to showcase the advances made in the project.… read more. “Job: Postdoc position in Human-Robot Interaction, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm”

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HyperForm VR platform may transform how urban designers collaborate

[The story below from Propmodo compares the under-valued impact of Google Glass to the potential impact of a new virtual reality design platform for the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. The 1:40 minute  promo video includes multiple forms of presence and a compelling ‘life size’ (1:1) scale collaborative display. –Matthew]

New Virtual Reality Design Platform May Transform How the AEC Industry Collaborates

Logan Nagel
August 20, 2019

The story of Google Glass, the augmented reality spectacles that were once hailed as game-changing, is a fascinating one that once seemed like a failure. Not too long ago, Glass was perhaps the most talked about piece of consumer tech. Innocuous-looking glasses that offered photography, communication, and information to be displayed directly over the wearer’s field of vision. Who wouldn’t want that?

As it turned out, lots of folks. Google Glass was expensive and simply offered smartphone features with worse performance and battery life.… read more. “HyperForm VR platform may transform how urban designers collaborate”

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Call: Technology and Aging Special Collection for journal Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine

Call for Papers

Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine
Special Collection on Aging and Technology
https://journals.sagepub.com/page/ggm/collections/call-for-papers/aging-and-technology

Submission deadline: Ongoing

Dear All,

I would like to draw your attention to a CFP for the Technology and Aging Special Collection in the SAGE Journal Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine (GGM):

OVERVIEW

For the aging population, technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the rapid pace of development and change can make it difficult for older adults to learn new technologies, while the world’s increasing use of and dependence on smart devices and digital technologies leaves those who struggle to adapt at a distinct, isolated disadvantage. On the other hand, technologies geared specifically towards an increasing, aging population contribute to increased comfort and dignity, the ability to live at home for longer, ease with managing health issues, and even longer life. This collection examines both aspects of the topic, welcoming manuscripts that address technologies designed for older adults (gerotechnology) as well as older adults’ relationship and struggles with advancing technologies.… read more. “Call: Technology and Aging Special Collection for journal Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine”

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VR and presence as a powerful tool for propaganda

[This link-filled story from Truthout highlights the potential of presence (though it doesn’t use the term) for propaganda and other unethical persuasion:

“[T]he novelty of VR lies in how it induces physiological and psychological effects in us comparable to those produced by lived experience, irrespective of any background consciousness of artificiality. … It’s because of this power that VR is likely to be used increasingly for propagandistic purposes, and as anyone familiar with the modern history of propaganda could expect, it won’t only be governmental agencies using it to propagate partial and potentially misleading information.”

–Matthew]

[Image: A man uses a flight simulator with a virtual reality headset during the International Training Technology Exhibition & Conference for military and weapons technology. Credit: Sebastian Gollnow / Picture Alliance via Getty Images]

Western Militaries Are Using Virtual Reality for Propaganda and Recruitment

By Simon Chandler
August 23, 2019

Virtual reality (VR) is the future of propaganda.… read more. “VR and presence as a powerful tool for propaganda”

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