[The human-like robot arms and hands described in this story from Interesting Engineering seem certain to evoke medium-as-social-actor presence; see the original story for two videos (also available on YouTube here and here). For more information see coverage in New Atlas and designboom as well as the Clone Robotics website. –Matthew] Video: Here is a spooky robotic arm that can fool people into believing it’s a real human hand Beware! This robotic arm has a powerful grip. By Rupendra Brahambhatt October 10, 2022 What would be your first reaction when you see a grey-colored robotic hand mimicking your real hand’s…

[Suggesting a new meaning for the acronym CASA (car, rather than computer, as social actor), a new study from The University of Tokyo suggests that giving self-driving vehicles eyes that indicate the vehicle’s “attention” will improve how people interact with the vehicles and save lives. Note that the study itself was conducted via a presence-evoking experience in virtual reality. See the original story for more images, and follow the links at the end for more information (including a 1:52 minute video also available on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: The Gazing Car. The cart was fitted with robotic eyes which could be moved…

[This news from Indiana University describes a creative and potentially valuable application of presence to help people recover from substance abuse disorders. See the new publication in Discover Mental Health for many more details.  –Matthew] [Image: Figure 1 from “Virtual reality intervention effects on future self-continuity and delayed reward preference in substance use disorder recovery: pilot study results”: Avatar rendering. The senior author’s A) Current Self avatar, and age-progressed 15 years, B) SUD Future Self, and C) Recovery Future Self] IU researcher creates virtual reality experiences to aid substance use disorder recovery October 19, 2022 Indiana University researchers are combining…