ISPR Presence News

Monthly Archives: November 2019

Call: “Pretense and Imagination from the Perspective of 4E Cognitive Science” issue of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences

Call for Papers:

“Pretense and Imagination from the Perspective of 4E Cognitive Science”
Special Issue of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences
https://philevents.org/event/show/78442

Guest Editors:

Zuzanna Rucińska, Centre for Philosophical Psychology, University of Antwerp, Belgium
https://www.zuzannarucinska.com/

Martin Weichold, Institute for Philosophy, University of Regensburg, Germany
https://www.uni-regensburg.de/philosophie-kunst-geschichte-gesellschaft/praktische-philosophie/personen/martin-weichold/

Submission deadline: August 1, 2020

4E Cognitive Science understands cognition as embodied, embedded, enactive, and extended, though the list of “E”’s can be extended to conceiving of cognition as ecological, enculturated and emotional as well. While there are important differences between these approaches, they all agree that there is more to cognition than what goes on in the head: cognition is said to be shaped, structured or even co-constituted by the dynamic interactions between the brain, the body, and both the physical and the social environment. These approaches have been taking cognitive science by storm.

However, 4E Cognitive Science is still relatively silent about higher forms of cognition, such as pretense and imagination.… read more. “Call: “Pretense and Imagination from the Perspective of 4E Cognitive Science” issue of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences”

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Google’s ‘Relightable’ volumetric video capture system recreates character lighting in virtually any environment

[Refinements in technology bring ever-more effective presence illusions. As this story from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) via EurekAlert! states, “The interactions of space, light, and shadow between a performer and their environment play a critical role in creating a sense of presence,” and a new Google system improves the realism of character lighting in film, TV, games, VR and AR. For more information see the 1:27 minute summary video mentioned and a second 5:00 minute technical video (both via YouTube), as well as coverage from Next Reality. The link to the SIGGRAPH paper is at the end of the story below. –Matthew]

Google’s new system captures character lighting for virtually any environment

Lighting is everything

News Release November 18, 2019
Association for Computing Machinery

Even novice photographers and videographers who rely on their handheld devices to snap photos or make videos often consider their subject’s lighting.… read more. “Google’s ‘Relightable’ volumetric video capture system recreates character lighting in virtually any environment”

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Call: Exemplar projects for 2020 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report

Call for exemplar projects for the 2020 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report

[From the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), a “collaborative community committed to advancing learning through IT innovation,” via the ELICOURSES e-list. –ML]

Submission deadline:  December 4, 2019

As you know, EDUCAUSE has been working closely with the expert panel to prepare the 2020 Horizon Report. We have recently concluded the voting for the six most important emerging technologies and practices for teaching and learning in higher ed.

For 2020, we will continue the long-standing tradition of reaching out to the community for projects that illustrate these technologies and practices in action. If your institution is working with any of the six (listed below), we encourage you to submit your project or initiative via the below-linked form. You are welcome to submit more than one project.

This work can be in almost any form: production or pilot programs, research projects, faculty undertakings, emerging technology trials, or evaluation/assessment projects.… read more. “Call: Exemplar projects for 2020 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report”

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Experience the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with 360 livestreaming, AR and holograms

[NBC and Verizon are using 5G and other new technologies to enhance the presence experience of the 93rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as detailed in this press release via Business Insider. For more on the Parade see Macy’s websites here and here; for a story about how the Parade was first presented in 360 see a 2016 story from The Shorty Awards; and to experience the parade in 360 visit YouTube. –Matthew]

NBC and Verizon use the power of 5G to reimagine Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®

PRESS RELEASE GlobeNewswire
November 18, 2019

What you need to know:

  • First-ever Verizon 5G portal experience from Bryant Park can transport viewers to Herald Square
  • 360-Livestream view will include virtual balloons and holographic celebrity appearances

NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NBC, Verizon, and Macy’s will take the annual, Emmy-nominated 360-degree livestream of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® to new heights with next-generation 5G technology powering an immersive, augmented reality and hologram experience.… read more. “Experience the 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with 360 livestreaming, AR and holograms”

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Call: “Understanding UX through Implicit and Explicit Feedback” issue of Multimodal Technologies and Interaction

Call for Papers

Understanding UX through Implicit and Explicit Feedback
Special issue of Multimodal Technologies and Interaction

In collaboration with the MDPI journal “Multimodal Technologies and Interaction”, we are bringing researchers together to contribute to a Special Issue on:
Understanding UX through Implicit and Explicit Feedback

Guest Editors:
Dr. ir. Bruce Ferwerda, Jonkoping University, Jonkoping, Sweden
Dr. ir. Mark Graus, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands

https://www.mdpi.com/journal/mti/special_issues/UX_feedback

Submissions are ongoing with the final submission deadline for manuscripts to be considered on 31 March 2020.

This special issue aims to explore the opportunities and challenges of combining implicit and explicit feedback to understand and design user experience (UX) in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

Measuring UX is important to understand how successful applications and systems are in reaching their goals. In general, there are two main approaches to measure UX: 1) explicit feedback (i.e., using data measured through surveys, interviews and focus groups) and 2) implicit feedback (i.e.,… read more. “Call: “Understanding UX through Implicit and Explicit Feedback” issue of Multimodal Technologies and Interaction”

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TeamLab is opening its second immersive digital art museum in Shanghai

[I’m anxious to visit teamLab’s new Shanghai immersive digital art museum or the popular one in Tokyo. This short story from Forbes provides some details (and the original includes two more pictures) but to understand the immersive experience the collective offers, see some the many pictures in new as well as older coverage by designboom, the teamLab website and YouTube channel, and an interview with the founder from SmartShanghai. –Matthew]

[Image: Wander through the Crystal World, teamLab, 2018, Interactive Installation of Light Sculpture, LED, Endless, Sound: Hideaki Takahashi. Credit: © TEAMLAB]

TeamLab Is Opening Its Second Immersive Digital Art Museum In Shanghai

October 31, 2019
Christina Liao

Even if you don’t know them by name, you’ve likely seen their work in person or all over Instagram. From a room filled with suspended, color-changing LED strips to an illuminated forest at Singapore Changi Airport’s recently opened Jewel entertainment and retail complex, art collective teamLab is what many other new media creators have tried to imitate.… read more. “TeamLab is opening its second immersive digital art museum in Shanghai”

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Job: Tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor of VR/AR at Rowan University

Full-time (10-month) tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor of Virtual/Augmented Reality

Department of Art
College of Communication & Creative Arts
Rowan University
Glassboro, New Jersey, USA

Job no: 494246
https://jobs.rowan.edu/cw/en-us/job/494246/fulltime-10month-tenuretrack-assistantassociate-professor-of-virtualaugmented-reality

Advertised: November 19 2019
Applications close: ??

The Department of Art welcomes applications for a full-time (10-month) tenure-track Assistant or Associate Professor with commensurate experience to join the department September 1, 2020.

The Department of Art, with NASAD-accredited BFA and BA offerings, is seeking a visionary and engaged faculty to shape innovative educational and entrepreneurial opportunities in art and design with virtual/augmented reality. Candidates will be experienced in cross-media approaches exploring digital innovation within the scope of virtual/augmented reality but may have additional experience in moving images; video and animation; augmented reality and interactive screen surfaces; and design for learning; visual, sonic and interactive spatial installations; or design for intelligent environments.

The department seeks an energetic candidate who makes conceptual connections in the visual, social, and cultural environment.… read more. “Job: Tenure-track Assistant/Associate Professor of VR/AR at Rowan University”

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‘Epidermal VR’ gives technology a human touch

[Northwestern University reports on advances in haptic technology, with diverse applications in enhancing presence experiences; see the original story for four different images and a 2:50 minute video. –Matthew]

[Image: Credit: Northwestern University]

‘Epidermal VR’ Gives Technology a Human Touch

Thin, flexible skin-interfaced system has applications in social interactions, prosthetics, telemedicine, and entertainment

November 20, 2019
Amanda Morris

Imagine holding hands with a loved one on the other side of the world. Or feeling a pat on the back from a teammate in the online game “Fortnite.”

Northwestern University researchers have developed a new thin, wireless system that adds a sense of touch to any virtual reality (VR) experience. Not only does this platform potentially add new dimensions to our long-distance relationships and entertainment, the technology also provides prosthetics with sensory feedback and imparts telemedicine with a human touch.

Referred to as an “epidermal VR” system, the device communicates touch through a fast, programmable array of miniature vibrating actuators embedded into a thin, soft, flexible material.… read more. “‘Epidermal VR’ gives technology a human touch”

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Call: “New trends in HCI for improving communication, education and integration of people with disabilities” for Universal Access in the Information Society journal

Call for Papers:

Universal Access in the Information Society International Journal
Special issue: New trends in HCI for improving communication, education and integration of people with disabilities

Guest Editors:
Julio Abascal, University of the Basque Country, Spain (julio.abascal@ehu.eus)
Myriam Arrue, University of the Basque Country, Spain (myriam.arrue@ehu.eus)
Nestor Garay-Vitoria, University of the Basque Country, Spain (nestor.garay@ehu.eus)

https://www.springer.com/journal/10209/updates/17359480

Submission deadline: 15th January 2020

AIMS AND SCOPE OF THIS SPECIAL ISSUE

The impact of the information technologies and the expansion of the Internet are rapidly changing the way in which information and services are accessed by people, as well as the way they share information and communicate with friends, relatives, teachers, colleagues, etc.

Human-Computer Interaction has always paid attention to the specific characteristics and needs of people with disabilities. Research in digital accessibility has helped people with functional limitations to use computers and, through them, to enhance their possibilities for living autonomously and for social integration.… read more. “Call: “New trends in HCI for improving communication, education and integration of people with disabilities” for Universal Access in the Information Society journal”

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People are having sex with 3D avatars of their exes and celebrities

[I considered not posting, or only excerpting, this Motherboard story because it contains sexual and disturbing content (so you’ve been warned), but I think it’s important for members of the presence community to be informed about the ways people are using technology to create all kinds of presence experiences, and the legal and ethical issues those uses are raising. See the original version of the story for six more images. –Matthew]

[Image: A promotional image from Daz 3D’s website advertising its Genesis 3 human model. “We’ve improved the levels of detail on some of the most critical body parts including the face, mouth, teeth, hands, feet, chest and neck.”]

‘They Can’t Stop Us:’ People Are Having Sex With 3D Avatars of Their Exes and Celebrities

A community of 3D graphics hobbyists are making and selling avatars of real people in order to fulfill their sexual fantasies, and there’s little anyone can do to stop them.read more. “People are having sex with 3D avatars of their exes and celebrities”

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