ISPR Presence News

Monthly Archives: September 2019

Call: The Present and Future of History and Games (One day symposium)

Call for Participants

One day symposium: The Present and Future of History and Games
Institute of Advanced Study, University of Warwick, UK
28th February 2020

Submission deadline: 17th November 2019

An interdisciplinary symposium that invites academics, teachers and practitioners at all levels to explore the intersection of history and games, and to discuss methods for future research, teaching, and practice.

While major video game franchises like Battlefield, Assassin’s Creed, and Red Dead Redemption are often in the spotlight, digital and non-digital games have for decades been exploring, interrogating, reinterpreting, and representing the past, and offering gameplay experiences underpinned by deliberately historical and culturally conscious narratives and worlds. Cross-media marketing campaigns that support the release of major titles stake claims for “authenticity” and “realism”, while other kinds of games explore and attempt to represent long-“othered” historical events, periods, processes and people that are not necessarily white or male.… read more. “Call: The Present and Future of History and Games (One day symposium)”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Augmented reality brings to life words of Stanford sex assault survivor

[This story illustrates potential roles of presence experiences in contesting not only the appearance but the personal and social meaning of places and events that occurred in them, and more generally the use of presence as a tool of protest. See the original story in the San Francisco Chronicle, where it features 5 more images and related links. –Matthew]

[Image: An augmented reality app includes a quote from the victim of a notorious 2015 sexual assault on the Stanford campus. Credit: Photos by Cody Glenn / Special to The Chronicle]

Augmented reality brings to life words of Stanford sex assault survivor

Anna Bauman
September 27, 2019

A fountain gurgles not far from shaded benches in a small, peaceful garden at Stanford University, but the serenity of the scene feels off to Kyle Qian.

The garden was created to replace the scene of one of the most notable crimes to ever occur on the campus, but nowhere to be found is a sign to distinguish this as the place where Chanel Miller was sexually assaulted by Stanford swimmer Brock Turner after a fraternity party in January 2015.… read more. “Augmented reality brings to life words of Stanford sex assault survivor”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: Workshop on Social Robots as Mediators for Enactive Didactics at ICSR 2019

Call for Abstracts (1000 words)

Workshop on
Social Robots as Mediators for Enactive Didactics
@ ICSR 2019
Madrid, Spain
November, 29, 2019
Conference website: http://icsr2019.uc3m.es/
Workshop website: https://enactive-robot-assisted-didactics.jimdosite.com/

Important Dates:
Abstract Due – October 25, 2019
Notification of Acceptance – October 30, 2019

We are interested in submissions of original research in the field of “Social Robots as Mediators for Enactive Didactics”, or research from related fields, relevant to the topic of “Experimental and Applied perspectives on robots, embodied and enactive approaches and education”. The submissions, in the form of abstracts (min 800, max 1000 words, references excluded), should present original research works related with, but not limited to, one or more of the following topics of interests:

  • Best practice for the use social robots in group education (Gamification, Interaction Channels)
  • Integrating Robots into didactic theory (with a particular interest for Enactive Didactics, Social Feedback, Constructionism, Inclusion)
  • Using social robots together with other technologies in the classroom (Audience Response Systems, Intelligent Tutoring systems)
  • Social robots for social feedback in education (mediator function, single or group interaction)
  • How to make social robotic technology attractive for schools and teachers?
read more. “Call: Workshop on Social Robots as Mediators for Enactive Didactics at ICSR 2019”
Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

MRI and behavior study: Brain may not need body movements to learn virtual spaces

[A new study indicates that we don’t have to physically move through virtual spaces to learn where things are in them. This story is from the UA News, where it includes 3 more images and a 1:55 minute video. –Matthew]

[Image: Derek Huffman navigates a virtual environment in 360 degrees on an omnidirectional treadmill. Credit: Roy Wageman/UAHS BioCommunications]

Brain May Not Need Body Movements to Learn Virtual Spaces

A new study conducted by the University of Arizona and the University of California, Davis enhances our understanding of how the brain learns in virtual reality.

Alexis Blue, University Communications
September 18, 2019

Virtual reality is becoming increasingly present in our everyday lives, from online tours of homes for sale to high-tech headsets that immerse gamers in hyper-realistic digital worlds. While its entertainment value is well-established, virtual reality also has vast potential for practical uses that are just beginning to be explored.… read more. “MRI and behavior study: Brain may not need body movements to learn virtual spaces”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: 1st Workshop on Human Technologies and Interaction Design in Outer Space (SpaceUX’19)

Call for Papers, Abstracts, Demos and Posters

1st Workshop on Human Technologies and Interaction Design in Outer Space (SpaceUX’19)
in conjunction with OzCHI’19 (http://ozchi2019.visemex.org/wp/)
2nd December – 5th December
Perth/Fremantle, WA, AUSTRALIA
https://spaceux19.travel.blog/

Workshop Highlights:

  • Workshop proceedings published in a Scopus indexed series
  • Best papers are published as part of a journal special issue with high level publisher
  • Submission deadline (abstracts): 20th October 2019

Outer space is steadily evolving as a site of human-computer interactions. With the ongoing investments of state and private companies in space exploration, these interactions and their design are becoming increasingly crucial for the unfolding of our futures on and beyond the globe. Yet outside the Earth, our relations with technologies necessitate situational adjustments, requiring a range of adaptive strategies designed to negotiate the extreme extra-terrestrial. While the domain of human-computer-interaction adopted methods from spaceflight as e.g.… read more. “Call: 1st Workshop on Human Technologies and Interaction Design in Outer Space (SpaceUX’19)”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Facebook announces Horizon, a VR massive-multiplayer world

[At the Oculus Connect 6 developer conference in San Jose, California this week, Facebook made a series of announcements related to presence. Among them is a new social world called Horizon, described in this story from TechCrunch (see the original for four more images and a 1:32 video). For much more information, including a specific reference to presence, see extensive coverage in CNET; for even more, see the Oculus Connect 6 website. –Matthew]

Facebook announces Horizon, a VR massive-multiplayer world

Josh Constine
September 25, 2019

Facebook today announced it’s building its own Ready Player One Oasis. Facebook Horizon is a virtual reality sandbox universe where you can build your own environments and games, play and socialize with friends or just explore the user-generated landscapes. This is Facebook’s take on Second Life.

Launching in early 2020 in closed beta, Facebook Horizon will allow users to design their own diverse avatars and hop between virtual locales through portals called Telepods, watch movies and consume other media with friends and play multiplayer games together, like Wing Strikers.… read more. “Facebook announces Horizon, a VR massive-multiplayer world”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: Provocations for MOCO 2019, 6th International Conference on Movement and Computing

MOCO 2019
6th International Conference on Movement and Computing
10-12th October 2019
Tempe, Arizona
https://moco19.movementcomputing.org/

Call for Provocations:
What aspects of your practice/research are invisible to your collaborators?
http://www.moco19.provocations.online/

Submission deadline: September 30, 2019

We invite succinct provocations addressing the above question from diverse perspectives. We want to hear from artists and scientists, philosophers and robots, professionals and students, and everyone in between and beyond.

The goal of the provocations is to incite dialogue about the ways in which tension within collaborative and cross-disciplinary work can be at once challenging and generative. We aim to draw out and mobilize critical differences between the motives and methods of various disciplinary communities as a source of mutual inspiration and innovation.

Provocations may take a range of forms (text, images, audio, video, etc.), and should be max 250 words or 60 seconds for time-based media.… read more. “Call: Provocations for MOCO 2019, 6th International Conference on Movement and Computing”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Facebook is getting very, very good at faking your face

[This short story from Fast Company describes Facebook’s latest progress toward using HMD sensors and AI to create immersive telepresence. The reconstructed images of users’ faces aren’t perfect of course, but the author notes that “with AI, the limitations are so convincing that we don’t even know they’re there. And it’s important that we don’t lose ourselves somewhere inside AI’s white lies.” See the original story for more pictures and a 5:55 minute video. –Matthew]

Facebook is getting very, very good at faking your face

Bu just how “real” is it?

September 4, 2019
By Mark Wilson

Five years ago, Mark Zuckerberg stated in no uncertain terms that Facebook was going to build the metaverse, a digital world that’s a surrogate for our real one, predicted by science fiction for decades. That’s why he bought Oculus, and invested heavily in VR.… read more. “Facebook is getting very, very good at faking your face”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: I3E 2020 – 19th IFIP Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society

Call for Papers

I3E 2020 – The 19th IFIP Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society
“Responsible design, implementation and use of information and communications technology”
6 – 8 April 2020
Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa
http://i3e2020.org

Submission deadline: 30 October 2019

The age of digital transformation opens up exciting new avenues for design. Yet, with the ubiquitous connectedness of a digitally transformed world, come unintended, unpredictable and often adverse consequences for individuals, societies and organisations – in developed and developing contexts.  Security, privacy, trustworthiness, exploitation and well-being are some of the pressing concerns resulting from new digital realities. There is need for responsible design, implementation and use of information systems (IS) based on critical awareness and ethical practices. As rightly put by Schultze (2017: 65): “As IS researchers we need to examine our own practices – including the questions we ask, the methods we deploy and theories we adopt – to understand and critically review our world-making”.… read more. “Call: I3E 2020 – 19th IFIP Conference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Scape creates 3D maps of 100 cities for new, ultra-accurate augmented reality

[In this PC Magazine UK interview, the co-founder and CEO of Scape Technologies explains how and why the company is creating a platform to generate augmented reality experiences that much more accurately link the nonmediated and virtual worlds. See the original story for 4 more images and 2 videos. For more information see coverage in AR Post and VentureBeat. –Matthew]

This Augmented Reality Platform Is Smarter Than Pokemon Go

Scape Technologies compares data from your phone’s camera with a cloud-based, machine-readable 3D map for augmented reality overlays that put existing setups to shame.

By S.C. Stuart
30 August 2019

Pokemon Go sparked a new wave of augmented reality exploration, but London-based Scape Technologies wants to take AR beyond GPS-driven gaming to provide a more accurate representation of the world around us.

GPS can pinpoint location within a foot or so, but Scape can tell exactly where you’re standing by comparing data from your phone’s camera with a cloud-based, machine-readable 3D map.… read more. “Scape creates 3D maps of 100 cities for new, ultra-accurate augmented reality”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment
  • Find Researchers

    Use the links below to find researchers listed alphabetically by the first letter of their last name.

    A | B | C | D | E | F| G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z