[Here’s an interesting discussion about the nature of immersion and presence; different ways of merging of the mediated and nonmediated for entertainment and profit; the relative importance of fidelity, lag and other causes of immersion/presence; and how and when we’ll use VR headsets in the future. The interview with the head of AR and VR at Unity is from Wired, where it includes two more images. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images] Unity’s Head of VR Offers a Much-Needed Reality Check Timoni West, the head of augmented and virtual reality at Unity, talks to WIRED about the future of XR.…

[The new spatial audio product described in this story from DesignTAXI enhances presence by beaming sound to individual listeners even as they move around a room, essentially making the technology invisible; the company’s press release says it produces an “immersive” and “magical sensory experience” that “breaks down the remoteness of remote-working with video-callers feeling like they are in the same room and supports vital at-home wellness.” The original story includes five different images and one of the several videos available on the company’s YouTube channel. –Matthew] [Image: Microphone held next to a woman’s ear as she hears sound from the…

[In this story from The Washington Post several experts including our colleague Robby Ratan comment on the promise and perils of the metaverse, and the roles of presence in both. Robby is also quoted in a Popular Science story about a new study of the Proteus Effect, “Athletic virtual reality avatars might make exercise feel easier; Participants who cycled while using athletic VR avatars had lower heart rates.” –Matthew] [Image: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks to an avatar of himself in the metaverse during Facebook Connect. His vision of the future could have wide-ranging — and potentially ill-advised — effects.…

[As someone with a lifelong visual impairment I’ve looked at various times for both low and high tech simulations to illustrate to others how I experience the world, including online simulators (e.g., The Sight Center of Northwest Ohio) and apps (e.g., Perkins School for the Blind), so this story from Chicago’s Daily Herald about a new “virtual reality screening room” (a CAVE) at Chicago’s Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired is of particular interest. A 10 minute July 2021 story from WGN News available via YouTube features a visit to Hadley and a demonstration of the new room…

[This story from The Washington Post summarizes the evolution of robots for the home and how it’s leading to social robots that evoke medium-as-social-actor presence and become our “emotional companions.” See the original version for three more images and links to related stories. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Illustration by Andrew Nye for The Washington Post] The next generation of home robots will be more capable — and perhaps more social Tech titans and upstarts alike are working to deepen our relationships with their robots By Chris Velazco November 10, 2021 Wander around any big-box electronics store long enough and you may…

[This CNN story about a more physically and psychologically realistic virtual influencer named Angie raises interesting questions about the appeals of and reactions to the interactive artificial humans increasingly being used to market products. For example, it says that “[d]espite knowing she’s not real, many of Angie’s followers eagerly tell her about their day in two group chats on Douyin” and a millennial follower is quoted saying “The reason why I like her is that Angie is more realistic than many people who are actually real.” In a new story in RADII that includes more details about Angie and her…