[A new study described in this story from Pain News Network demonstrated the ability of virtual reality (and arguably presence) to distract and calm surgery patients so that they could be given lower doses of anesthesia. See a press release via EurekAlert! and the new article published in PLOS ONE for more details. –Matthew] [Image: Figure 2 from the study in PLOS ONE: A) Image of a study patient using the VR equipment. B) Screenshot of a typical immersive environment with an example of text communication from study personnel. The text in B says “Surgery is going great! Try to stay…

[The technology to create convincing videos of any person saying whatever words you supply is evolving quickly, as described in this story from TechCrunch about the latest platform by the company D-ID. The original story includes a second image and a short demonstration video (also available on YouTube). For more information see the D-ID website and YouTube channel. –Matthew] D-ID, the company behind Deep Nostalgia, lets you create AI-generated videos from a single image By Ivan Mehta September 19, 2022 Israeli AI company D-ID, which provided technology for projects like Deep Nostalgia, is launching a new platform where users can…

[Reminiscent of a well-acted scene from Star Trek: The Next Generation in which the android Data is given a ‘gift’ of laughter (see Laughing Squid for details and the video clip), researchers in Japan are training a robot to recognize and share laughter during conversations with humans. The details are in this story from The Guardian, with supplements from coverage in CNET. For an interview with Divesh Lala, a member of the research team, and a 3:16 minute video (also on YouTube) see a story in the Hindustan Times. –Matthew] [Image: Erica being trained on how to have a sense…

[This CNN review of the first officially licensed NFL football game for virtual reality doesn’t explicitly mention, but is all about, spatial and social presence. See the original story for three more images. A review from Yahoo! includes this assessment: “As someone who, in my youthful days, played the position, I can attest that it’s the closest I have come to feeling like I was playing the game again. I literally rolled out and threw a touchdown, and it felt realistic, to say the least. I also almost rolled out into a wall, so make sure you’ve got some room.”…

[Here’s a long but breezy and interesting update from The New York Times on what it’s like to date (and more) in presence-evoking virtual reality. Visit the original version to listen to the story, see a second image and follow links to more about the metaverse. –Matthew] ‘Phantom Touch’ and the (Real) Pleasures of Virtual Dating Just a girl looking for love in the metaverse. By Madeleine Aggeler Published August 18, 2022; Updated August 24, 2022 On our first date, CC and I met on a floating platform suspended in the middle of a distant galaxy. As with much space…

[This link-filled report from the World Economic Forum describes the increasing use of presence-evoking VR and AR for shopping.  See the original story for two more images and three videos. –Matthew] [Image: Hugo Boss customers can try on clothes using an avatar based on their own measurements. Credit: Hugo Boss] How many consumers are shopping in virtual reality and what can it offer them? By Simon Read, Senior Writer, Formative Content August 23, 2022 More of us are turning to virtual reality (VR) to do our shopping – and it is a switch that could signal big changes in the…