International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • Call: Symposium on XR Research in Theatre and Performance

    Published:

    XR-Research SymposiumJune 17, 2026Rose Bruford CollegeSidcup, Southeast Londonhttps://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=ART-TECHNOLOGY;f0beb81a.2604 Deadline for submission of proposals: May 4, 2026 Rose Bruford College is hosting a symposium to bring together academics, artists and technologists using XR technologies for research in theatre and performance. The use of XR (augmented/mixed/virtual reality) tools and techniques is now well-established in many fields of artistic practice and academic enquiry, from their use to make various kinds of digital performance to VR reconstructions of historic theatres. Through this one-day symposium, we want to bring together academics and practitioners to share, discuss and explore how XR can be used for performance…

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  • Las Vegas Sphere turns into huge Moon to celebrate NASA mission

    Published:

    [In a dramatic presence-evoking display, and celebration, of this week’s space flight to the furthest distance from Earth humans have ever travelled, The Sphere in Las Vegas ‘turned into’ the Moon, with NASA’s Artemis II spacecraft orbiting above its surface. See the original version of this short story from Futurism for larger versions of the two images below and follow the links within the story for more information, images and videos. –Matthew] Las Vegas Sphere Turns Into Huge Moon to Celebrate NASA Mission “Good luck, Godspeed Artemis II. Let’s go.” By Victor TangermannApril 9, 2026 NASA’s historic Artemis 2 mission…

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  • Call: Chapters for Teaching the Game, 2nd Edition

    Published:

    Call for Book Chapter Proposals: Teaching the Game, Second EditionPlay Story Presshttps://playstorypress.org/2026/04/07/call-for-proposal-teaching-the-game-second-edition/ Deadline for submission of abstracts: May 1, 2026 (chapters due June 15, 2026) We are pleased to share this call for book chapter proposals for the second edition of Teaching the Game, to be published open access by Play Story Press. Abstracts are due May 1, 2026 . Authors will be notified by May 15, 2026. Accepted chapters will be due by June 15, 2026. Full details are below, but please feel free to contact us with questions or to submit your proposal at rferdig@gmail.com.…

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  • Fallguard project uses AI to predict and prevent VR user falls

    Published:

    [Two first-year undergraduate students are working with an assistant professor of computer science at Kennesaw State University in Georgia to develop an AI-based system that predicts when a virtual reality user is about to fall and warns them to prevent it. The warnings come in the form of sounds or prompts (perhaps eventually they can be incorporated into the experience to avoid breaking presence, as with in-story verbal cautions from characters). The Fallguard is one of several projects in the University’s First-Year Scholars Program; a summary of others is here. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Darnell Wilburn] First-year students leverage AI technology…

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  • Call: The Hybrid Subject: Navigating Human-AI Communication

    Published:

    Call for Papers: International Academic Conference: The Hybrid Subject: Navigating Human-AI CommunicationJune 28-30, 2026Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS)Shenzhen, Chinahttp://listserv.aoir.org/pipermail/air-l-aoir.org/2026-April/195805.html Deadline for submission of full papers OR extended abstracts: April 30, 2026 CONFERENCE OVERVIEW Against the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into social, organizational, and interpersonal communication, human-AI interaction has evolved from instrumental operation to hybrid subjectivity: AI systems participate as conversational partners, decision collaborators, and co-creators, reshaping identities, norms, power dynamics, and communicative practices. This conference convenes international scholars in communication, media studies, organizational behavior, digital sociology, human-computer interaction, and AI ethics to interrogate the hybrid subject in theory,…

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  • LIFE V-aiR project uses VR to make invisible pollution visible

    Published:

    [A multi-year project in the EU is using presence-evoking virtual reality to help both the public and policy-makers better understand and address the challenges of controlling air pollution. Some of the details are in this news release from the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (the original version includes a second image); more details are available from Atmo Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (Atmo BFC). The Escape and Serious games are available from Meta. –Matthew] Clearing the air: LIFE project uses virtual reality to make invisible pollution visible As air pollution remains a critical health and environmental challenge in Europe, the LIFE V-aiR…

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  • Call: “The Role of Journalism in Endangered Democracy” Conference

    Published:

    [NOTE: See especially the section toward the end regarding the Fictional Identities In Digital Space panel. –Matthew] Call for Papers: Conference – ‘The Role of Journalism in Endangered Democracy’June 5-6, 2026Communication and Media Department, University of SplitSplit, Croatiahttp://commlist.org/archive/all/2026-all/msg00527.html Deadline for submission of abstracts: April 25, 2026 RATIONALE: During the 2016 US presidential campaign the publication of inaccurate and, in particular of intentionally inaccurate information, through social media and fake websites became a salient reality of the digitized information world (Palczewski, 2017; Parkinson, 2016; Silverman & Singer-Vine, 2016). It further polarized American society and confused voting citizens. The proliferation of the…

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  • Survey reveals growing appeal of AI for romantic and sexual interactions

    Published:

    [A new survey finds increasing use of AI chatbots, and willingness to use of AI-based robots, for romance and sex. Some of the implications of this use of technologies that evoke medium-as-social-actor presence are discussed in this story from Vice; follow the  ZipHealth link for more details about the survey results. –Matthew] Gen Z Won’t Stop Having Sex With AI Chatbots Maybe the robots really are taking over. By Ashley FikeApril 6, 2026 People are willing to try just about anything to feel close to someone again. And in today’s ever-freakier world, that “someone” doesn’t even have to be human.…

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  • Call: Media and Emotion Conference

    Published:

    Calls for Papers: Media and Emotion ConferenceThe Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion and Social Justice at Bournemouth UniversitySeptember 7-8, 2026Bournemouth, Englandhttps://necs.org/news/calls-for-papers/media-and-emotion-conferencehttp://commlist.org/archive/all/2026-all/msg00412.html Deadline for submissions: May 4, 2026 The Centre for the Study of Conflict, Emotion and Social Justice, in the Faculty of Media, Science and Technology at Bournemouth University invites scholarly and practice-based proposals for an in-person conference on media and emotion. [The conference will include:] 2 days with up to 100+ papers in 30+ panels, 4 keynote events, lunches and refreshment breaks for both days, optional self-funded conference meal, student rates (and lottery free spaces) and campus…

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  • VR used to help teach young people in UK about dangers of trespassing on the railway

    Published:

    [This news release from the UK’s Network Rail describes a positive application of presence designed to help people understand and avoid the dangers posed by trains. See the original version for three more images and a 1:27 minute video. –Matthew] VIDEO: Virtual reality helping teach young people in Wales and Borders about the dangers of trespassing on the railway By Kathy Peart, Media relations manager, Network RailApril 2, 2026 The technology has been rolled out on the Wales and Borders route for the first time – already reaching more than 2,000 school children. Immersive VR technology is being used for…

    Read more: VR used to help teach young people in UK about dangers of trespassing on the railway

  • An ISPR-related phishing scam to avoid

    Published:

    Information about an ISPR-related phishing scam to avoid I’ve received multiple messages from people who have been sent an email that appears to come from me but is in fact a phishing scam. At least one version of the message looks like the one below; among other things, note that although I have a gmail account, the sender’s email address is not mine. This message doesn’t request funds, but some of the scam messages do. If you receive an email that looks like the one below or requests that you send money, please do not respond! Feel free to contact…

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  • Professor creates VR dance game about modern dance pioneer Loïe Fuller

    Published:

    [A professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has created a virtual reality game that teaches players about Loïe Fuller, an extremely popular and influential dancer who was one of the first to integrate technology (including presence-evoking technology) into her performances; game players also learn and practice basic dance principles. See the original version of the story for a second image (of Loïe Fuller), and follow the Master Dancer link for videos and more information. –Matthew] [Image: Professor John Tenjes is surrounded by a projection of a scene from “Master Dancer” in a National Center for Supercomputing Applications lab. Credit:…

    Read more: Professor creates VR dance game about modern dance pioneer Loïe Fuller

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