[With a major winter storm in the forecast, it’s a good time to learn about how some of the professionals who work to restore electrical power after storms are using presence-evoking virtual reality to stay safe in hazardous conditions. This story is from South Carolina’s Post and Courier, where the original version includes five more images and a 1:14 minute video. For a related story, see the May 2025 ISPR News post “Digital twins and virtual reality transform electric utility workforce training at Virginia Tech.” –Matthew] [Image: Travis Renwick, a lineman-turned-trainer, demonstrates a simulation using a virtual reality headset, Wednesday,…

[Here are two stories about how the U.S. military is increasingly turning to presence-evoking technologies to replace in-person training. The first story is from Task & Purpose and the second is from Forbes; see the original versions of each story for an additional image. –Matthew] [Image: Army Spc. Elijah Sims uses a virtual reality headset at Rose Barracks, Army Garrison Bavaria, Vilseck, Germany. Credit: Army photo by Pfc. Jolene Cintron.] The Army wants soldiers to travel less for training, do more in virtual reality Army leaders said they are looking at more virtual reality and remote training inspired by civilian…

[Although this story from Blooloop doesn’t use the term, several elements of Not Fade Away, a new immersive media attraction next to the historic Surf Ballroom music venue in Clear Lake, Iowa, are designed to evoke presence. See the original version of the story for three more pictures, and for more information see the Clear Lake and Surf Ballroom websites. A 2:02 minute video news report is available from KAAL ABC 6 TV in Clear Lake. –Matthew] Trivium Interactive helps bring immersive storytelling to Surf Ballroom with Not Fade Away New multimedia experience tells the story of the iconic museum…

[Researchers in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota are testing the potential benefits of a program of nature experiences via virtual reality for children and adolescents who are undergoing stem cell transplants to treat cancer. An “adapted” version of this story was published on January 9, 2026 by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. More details about the study are available at ClinicalTrials.gov. –Matthew] [Image: Assistant Professor Erica Timko Olson explains how to use the virtual reality headset and controllers to a young patient]. Virtual reality may offer a natural escape for young cancer patients A new…

[The very short story below, from the website of KOAT in Albuquerque, New Mexico, describes that city’s role in the 2026 celebration of the 100th anniversary of the famous U.S. highway Route 66, a celebration that includes a variety of presence-evoking experiences. For context, an October 2025 story from the University of New Mexico includes this: “U.S. Route 66, also known as The Mother Road, starts in Chicago, Ill., and ends at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. It passes through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, for a total of 2,448…

[The 10 campuses of the University of Hawaii are using AI chatbots to provide both information and personal support to their students. This story describes the funded project and indicators of its success, including the level of student engagement (which likely includes medium-as-social-actor presence). The original version of the story includes a YouTube short, and there’s a second one in one of the related stories linked at the end. For more information on this topic, you can listen to (or read the transcript of) a half-hour episode (no. 174) of the podcast The Key with Inside Higher Ed titled “Voices…