[If you’ll be in Adelaide, Australia this month you might want to experience presence in a new attraction described in this story from InReview; see the original story for more pictures and a 55 second trailer (also available via YouTube). Coverage in CityMag adds these details:

“Immersion is presented within the Ellipse, a purpose-built room at Light which has been created with a 360-degree LED display stretching 13m by 8m in an oval shape and reaching 4m in height. [Event director Nathan] Bazley describes the audience experience as being like virtual reality ‘but shared with 39 other people and not a headset or controller in sight’. The interactive storytelling elements of Immersion are created using Unreal Engine ­– a real-time 3D creation tool commonly employed to create highly detailed online video games. Special sensors in Ellipse will capture visitors’ movements, allowing them to interact in real time with the images on the screens.… read more. ““Immersion”: A shared interactive 360-degree storytelling experience in South Australia”

[This story from 5280, “Denver’s Mile High Magazine,” reports on one person’s quest to create valuable long-form presence experiences for trail explorers and racers; see the original story for a second image. –Matthew]

[Image: Credit: Run Infinite]

Run Infinite’s Virtual Reality Library Helps Viewers Hit the Trails

A local coaching company is creating the world’s first 360-degree VR trail library one trail run at a time.

By Sarah Banks
November 4, 2021

Brandon Yonke wants you to experience the iconic Leadville 100 trail race, and he’s doing the hard part for you.

This past August, using his own macgyvered GoPro rig—engineered using an underground sprinkler hose frame stuffed into his Ultimate Direction hydration pack—the Colorado-based ultramarathon runner and coach covered the first half of the out-and-back course, documenting every angle of the route to create a first-of-its-kind, 360-degree virtual reality course preview of the 100-mile ultramarathon.… read more. “Run Infinite’s virtual reality library helps viewers hit the trails”

[Note the references to various forms of presence in this short press release from the Church of England (including the Church’s tagline “A Christian Presence in Every Community”). You can watch the 7:17 minute 4K 360-degree video on YouTube. –Matthew]

Ancient Blessing of the Light service in Virtual Reality first

October 31, 2021

People from around the world will be able to ‘join’ in traditional worship at a church in London through Virtual Reality for the first time.

The Blessing of the Light, which draws on one of the ancient evening rituals of early Christianity, has been filmed in 3D in a trial new approach to online worship.

The seven-minute act of worship, filmed at the parish church of St Stephen Walbrook in the City of London, can be accessed on any computer or device, without special VR equipment.

People are able to experience ‘standing’ among the choir and can explore in 360-degree vision during the worship.… read more. “Church of England brings ancient Blessing of the Light service to virtual reality”

[Microsoft has announced new features that move us closer to its vision for the much-discussed concept of a metaverse; the story below from The Verge offers some of the details and is followed by excerpts of other coverage that highlight presence-related aspects of the news. –Matthew]

Microsoft Teams enters the metaverse race with 3D avatars and immersive meetings

Microsoft and Meta are on a collision course for metaverse competition

By Tom Warren
November 2, 2021

Microsoft is entering the race to build a metaverse inside Teams, just days after Facebook rebranded to Meta in a push to build virtual spaces for both consumers and businesses. Microsoft is bringing Mesh, a collaborative platform for virtual experiences, directly into Microsoft Teams next year. It’s part of a big effort to combine the company’s mixed reality and HoloLens work with meetings and video calls that anyone can participate in thanks to animated avatars.… read more. “Microsoft Teams enters the metaverse race with 3D avatars and immersive meetings”

[Our colleague Skip Rizzo, his mother, and his latest valuable work that involves multiple forms of presence are the topics in this story from USC News; see the original for a 54 second video (also available via YouTube). –Matthew]

[Image: Skip Rizzo’s mother takes a virtual tour of Rome. Credit: Skip Rizzo. Source: YouTube (screenshot)]

USC researcher envisions Siri-like assistants and VR travel for older people and their caregivers

Professor Skip Rizzo’s 89-year-old mother test-drives his innovations.

By Leigh Hopper
November 1, 2021

USC Research Professor Skip Rizzo thought his mother might like a trip to Rome.

She put on a virtual reality headset, and soon her face was aglow: “Oh! Carl and I used to love this little bar that was right over here.” The visuals brought back memories from 35 years ago when she visited Italy with her husband; this time, Rizzo was right there with her, in a postage stamp-sized video off to one side.… read more. “USC’s Skip Rizzo envisions Siri-like assistants and VR travel for older people and their caregivers”