[Having grown up in Los Angeles, I can relate to this short story from the Daily Titan about a mobile earthquake simulator used to increase public awareness and safety. For more information see coverage (including a 1:17 minute video) from Seattle’s KING5 TV, the Big Shaker website and the Great Shakeout Earthquake Drills website (October 17 is International ShakeOut Day). For two different approaches to earthquake simulators, see ReleifWeb for information on international “VR-based disaster resilience training simulations” and the University of California, San Diego for information on the world’s largest outdoor earthquake simulator. –Matthew] Big Shaker event simulates Ridgecrest…

[This thoughtful piece from Quartz provides several vivid examples of possible future applications of presence-evoking augmented reality and highlights not just their benefits but the dangers they represent for individuals and society. –Matthew] [Image: Seeing the world through a whole new type of rose-tinted glasses. Credit: Chris-McRobbie] SEEING ISN’T BELIEVING We’ll soon be able to experience reality as we want it. But is that a good thing? By David Rose, Founder, supersight.org October 1, 2019 The human eye is an extraordinary organ. Packed with over 120 million photoreceptor cells, it can discern 10 million different colors and is the body’s…

[In an interview in Tech Republic, author Romina Garber describes a new effort to use virtual reality and presence to enhance the experience of reading her books and draw more readers to them. The original version of the story includes a 7:42 minute video of the interview, and for more information see the Abelana VR website and Romina Garber’s tumblr. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Abelana VR] How VR creates an immersive experience for readers Penguin Random House is using virtual reality to enhance how people read and appreciate books. Author Romina Garber discusses how VR is used with her Zodiac series.…

[This IEEE Spectrum story features an interview with one of the creators of a new social robot designed specifically to evoke medium-as-social-actor presence by being emotionally engaging rather than performing tasks. See the original for 3 more pictures and a 1:46 minute video. –Matthew] This “Useless” Social Robot Wants to Succeed Where Others Failed The creators of Kiki believe they can build an emotionally engaging social home robot that is also “completely useless” By Evan Ackerman September 19, 2019 The recent high-profile failures of some home social robots (and the companies behind them) have made it even more challenging than…

[This short story from Tom’s Hardware describes how a potential new Microsoft product could create greater immersion and presence for virtual reality users. Follow the link to the patent application for more information. –Matthew] Microsoft Patents Virtual Reality Floor Mat by Nathaniel Mott October 7, 2019 VR is currently limited to what people can see, hear and interact with using oddly shaped controllers. Variety reported on Friday that Microsoft wants to change that, however, with a VR mat that could better incorporate our feet into virtual experiences. The company mostly focused on safety issues–it can be hard not to bump…

[GQ reports on the origins and expansion of virtual models on Instagram to video blogging influencers soon to be powered by artificial intelligence; among the interesting observations is this: “’I would argue you can establish the same connection with a VTuber that you would with a ‘normal’ YouTuber,’ says João Lopes, an 18-year-old fan. ‘Even the most authentic influencers craft their personality to be more likeable.’ Indeed, the unblinking artificiality of this new wave of virtual celebrities is, it might be argued, more honest than flesh-and-blood celebrities who take care only to present part of their personality on camera. Brud’s…