[As the technologies and techniques that evoke presence become more diverse and overlap in different combinations it’s useful to have a classification scheme. This story from Virtual Humans provides one for the virtual influencer industry; see the original story for seven more images. –Matthew] What’s the Difference Between Virtual Influencers, VTubers, Artificial Intelligence, Avatars, and More? Virtual being classifications are diverse; here are some definitions to help keep things clear. By Makena Rasmussen September 27, 2021 When people imagine a virtual influencer, they often picture something out of a science fiction movie: a fully automated, autonomous robot celebrity powered by…

[From The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman to Star Wars and beyond, science fiction has long portrayed replacement limbs that function and are experienced as being the same (or better than) the original limb. New work described in this Cleveland Clinic press release is actually making this possible, allowing amputees to overlook the role of technology in their interaction with objects and people. See the original report for six more images and a 15 second video. More videos are available via YouTube from the Cleveland Clinic, KPVM-TV in Las Vegas, and the Daily Mail – in the…

[As DesignTAXI reports, Virtual Mate claims to produce compelling, realistic “virtual intimacy” with its combination of story, character, realistic graphics, and verbal and physical interaction; the company’s website includes this indirect reference to a strong presence illusion: “As a California-based team of Unreal Engine developers and smart device engineers, we have dedicated years of time, money, and energy to devising an intimate virtual encounter so immersive and realistic, users are losing sight of what’s real or fictional.” See the rest of the website for more information including (some NSFW) images and videos. The reviews are more cautious: “We like Virtual…

[This Digiday story reviews the recent expansion of virtual concert platforms and the spatial and social presence experiences they provide and how companies are using the platforms for marketing and promotion of the metaverse. For more on the Stageverse social VR platform highlighted here see coverage in Road to VR. –Matthew] Why companies are using virtual concerts to introduce their users to the metaverse By Alexander Lee September 21, 2021 As everyday life increasingly moves into digital spaces, companies are taking advantage of consumers’ enthusiasm for virtual concerts to introduce them to the concept of the metaverse. On September 8,…

[This interview with neurosurgeon Sam Browd provides enlightening details about how virtual reality, AI and presence can and hopefully will increasingly improve surgical training and performance. The interview is from Healthcare IT News. –Matthew] [Image: Dr. Sam Browd. Credit: Proprio] Boosted by virtual reality and AI, telesurgery is on the rise “The goal is surgeons who have the world’s best expert surgeon virtually at their side in every case and the experience of thousands of cases,” says University of Washington’s Dr. Sam Browd. By Bill Siwicki September 21, 2021 Dr. Sam Browd is a Seattle neurosurgeon who is taking telemedicine…

[A new variation on the Pepper’s Ghost illusion that uses “affordable, commercially available parts to pair computer-generated graphics with carefully directed and controlled jets of air” is said to create a convincing sensation of touch for users, as described in this story from The Conversation. See the linked article in Advanced Intelligent Systems for more details and a video (in the “Supplementary Materials”). –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Design_cells/Shutterstock] We created holograms you can touch – you could soon shake a virtual colleague’s hand By Ravinder Dahiya, Professor of Electronics and Nanoengineering, University of Glasgow September 17, 2021 The TV show Star…