ISPR Presence News

Author Archives: Matthew Lombard

Gucci on the Apple Vision Pro and why it matters

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 22, 2024

[The Apple Vision Pro was the impetus for lots of discussion at an interesting and enjoyable symposium at the University of Toronto last week titled “Questioning Reality: Explorations of Virtual Reality and Our Social Future.” The story below about a new presence-evoking documentary about fashion from Gucci touches on some of the same themes and questions regarding the future of Apple’s new platform and others that will come after it. The story is from fxguide, where the original version features more images; the documentary is available via the GUCCI app on the Apple App Store. For more details and coverage, see stories from Forbes and Glossy. More reactions and discussion can be found on the r/VisionPro subreddit. –Matthew]

Gucci on the Apple Vision Pro and why it Matters

By Mike Seymour
April 5, 2024

Yesterday, Gucci released an immersive, mixed-reality version of its new documentary on creative director Sabato De Sarno for the Apple Vision Pro (AVP).… read more. “Gucci on the Apple Vision Pro and why it matters”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: Big Visual Data Analytics (BVDA) Workshop at IEEE International Conference on Image Processing 2024

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 17, 2024

CALL FOR PAPERS

Big Visual Data Analytics (BVDA) Workshop at ICIP 2024
IEEE International Conference on Image Processing
October 27-30, 2024
Abu Dhabi, UAE
https://icarus.csd.auth.gr/cfp-bvda-icip24-workshop/

Paper submission deadline: May 9, 2024

We invite researchers and practitioners working on various aspects of big visual data analytics to submit their work to the Big Visual Data Analytics (BVDA) Workshop, organized in conjunction with the IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP) 2024. The ever-increasing visual data availability leads to repositories or streams characterized by big data volumes, velocity (acquisition and processing speed), variety (e.g., RGB or RGB-D or hyperspectral images) and complexity (e.g., video data and point clouds). Their processing necessitates novel and advanced visual analysis methods, in order to unlock their potential across diverse domains.

The BVDA Workshop aims to explore this rapidly evolving field encompassing cutting-edge methods, emerging applications, and significant challenges in extracting meaning and value from large-scale visual datasets.… read more. “Call: Big Visual Data Analytics (BVDA) Workshop at IEEE International Conference on Image Processing 2024”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

What it’s like to use Apple’s Vision Pro for two weeks in real life

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 17, 2024

[The author of this review from Axios describes the benefits and challenges she encountered during sustained use of the new Apple Vision Pro headset. As with so many assessments, the report makes clear that presence-evoking virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies are advancing, but there are still substantial barriers to widespread adoption. –Matthew]

[Image: A view from the Vision Pro with icons overlaying pass-through video of a living room. Credit: Apple]

Axios Review: Using Apple’s Vision Pro in real life

By Ina Fried, author of Axios AI+
March 29, 2024

Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset, two months after its appearance in stores, is now something we can live with as well as marvel at.

The big picture: I spent two weeks wearing the headset while sitting in airplanes, watching movies in bed and writing articles from my living room couch.… read more. “What it’s like to use Apple’s Vision Pro for two weeks in real life”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: Digital Death: Transforming History, Rituals and Afterlife Conference

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 16, 2024

Call for Papers:

Digital Death: Transforming History, Rituals and Afterlife Conference
The 7th International Symposium of the Death Online Research Network (DORS#7)
October 3-5, 2024
University of Helsinki, Finland
https://www.helsinki.fi/en/researchgroups/digital-death-transforming-history-rituals-and-afterlife/digital-death-transforming-history-rituals-and-afterlife-conference

Abstract/panel submission deadline: April 26, 2024

How do the dead live among us today?

What kinds of relationships can be established between the living and the dead in today’s society?

How can we achieve immortality in the present-day digital society?

The 7th International Research Symposium of the Death Online Research Network Digital Death: Transforming History, Rituals and Afterlife addresses the cultural and social transformation of human death in modern society as it is characterised by digital saturation of the current collective social and cultural existence. Although death is a universal condition of all humankind, the ways in which death is addressed, managed, and performed in a given society and culture varies considerably.… read more. “Call: Digital Death: Transforming History, Rituals and Afterlife Conference”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Picture book worlds brought to life: A new museum of children’s literature creates presence with life-size dioramas

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 16, 2024

[An ”immersive and beautiful” new museum of children’s literature evokes presence without screens and other digital technologies. Instead, it features “40 book-themed dioramas blown up to life-size and arranged, Ikea showroom-style, in a space the size of two hockey rinks.” The details are in this abridged version of a story from The New York Times; see the original version for 15 more images. –Matthew]

[Image: Two generations of readers enjoy “Caps for Sale” at the Rabbit Hole, a new museum in Kansas City, Mo. Credit: Chase Castor for The New York Times]

Once Upon a Time, the World of Picture Books Came to Life

The tale behind a new museum of children’s literature is equal parts imagination, chutzpah and “The Little Engine That Could.”

By Elisabeth Egan
Photographs and Video by Chase Castor
April 1, 2024

On a crisp Saturday morning that screamed for adventure, a former tin can factory in North Kansas City, Mo.,… read more. “Picture book worlds brought to life: A new museum of children’s literature creates presence with life-size dioramas”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI) 2024

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 15, 2024

Call for Papers:

ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI) 2024
October 7-8, 2024
Trier, Germany
https://sui.acm.org/2024/index

Submission deadline for papers: June 10, 2024 (posters/demos: August 2, 2024)

We invite papers, posters, and demo contributions to ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction, which is taking place in Trier, Germany, October 7-8, 2024.

All topics that are directly or indirectly relevant to spatial user interactions and interfaces are welcome. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: design practices; spatial interaction design; evaluation; perception and cognition; human factors and ergonomics; ethical and social factors; inclusion and accessibility; privacy and security; multimodal spatial interaction; collaborative spatial interaction; visualization; intelligent spatial interfaces; user-adaptive and personalization; applications of spatial UIs.

PAPERS: Submission Deadline: June 10, 2024 (anywhere on earth)

We invite original, unpublished work documenting research contributions, practice and experience, software and toolkits, or systems and novel applications.… read more. “Call: ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interaction (SUI) 2024”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Imagining virtual reality as a simple tool to treat depression

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 15, 2024

[A new study demonstrates that behavioral activation – a treatment for depression in which patients are encouraged to engage in pleasant real-life activities, is also effective when the activities are simulated using virtual reality. The details are in this post from Stanford Medicine’s Scope blog (where the original includes two more images). –Matthew]

[Image: Credit: Emily Moskal]

Imagining virtual reality as a simple tool to treat depression

By Sarah C. P. Williams
April 11, 2024

Some of the 17 million Americans afflicted with major depressive disorder each year may soon receive a surprising new prescription from their clinician: Have fun on a virtual reality device.

Engaging in activities that make you feel good may seem like overly simplistic advice, especially when directed at people with severe depression. But the science behind this idea, called “behavioral activation,” is well established. Multiple studies have found that encouraging people to get outside, exercise, socialize, volunteer or immerse themselves in enjoyable activities in a prescribed, systematic way can help ease the symptoms of depression.… read more. “Imagining virtual reality as a simple tool to treat depression”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: GALA 2024: 13th Games and Learning Alliance Conference

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 12, 2024

Call for Papers

GALA 2024: 13th Games and Learning Alliance Conference
Organized by the Serious Games Society in collaboration with Berlin School of Economics and Law | HWR Berlin
November 20-22, 2024
Berlin, Germany
https://conf.seriousgamessociety.org/

Submission deadline: July 3, 2024

You are cordially invited to submit papers to the 13th Games and Learning Alliance Conference (GALA Conference 2024). GALA Conference 2024 is an international conference organized by the Serious Games Society in collaboration with the Berlin School of Economics and Law (Business Faculty).

The conference will take place in Berlin (Germany) from 20th November to 22nd November. The objective of the conference is to provide an international forum for the dissemination and exchange of scientific information on theoretical, generic, and applied areas of serious games.

We are seeking original contributions that advance the state of art of serious game research field.… read more. “Call: GALA 2024: 13th Games and Learning Alliance Conference”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

Spatial Personas have turned my Apple Vision Pro into a telepresence machine

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 12, 2024

[The new Spatial Personas feature in Apple’s Vision Pro headset allows up to five users to collaborate in the same mixed reality space; the author of this story from CNET describes his presence experience using the feature and is impressed. See the original story for a second image, and ZDNET for more coverage. –Matthew]

[Image: Here’s Norman Chan, playing chess with me in my home office. Credit: Screenshot by Scott Stein/CNET]

Spatial Personas Have Turned My Apple Vision Pro Into a Telepresence Machine

A small change to how Apple’s avatars work has made connecting with people feel far more real in ways that make the future feel wilder than ever.

By Scott Stein, Editor at Large
April 3, 2024

After spending an hour and a half at night with a friend, drawing, playing games, watching movies and looking at models, I realized I forgot to say goodnight to my kid.… read more. “Spatial Personas have turned my Apple Vision Pro into a telepresence machine”

Posted in Presence in the News | Leave a comment

Call: Rethinking Ethics – Reimagining Technology, a 4TU.Ethics ESDIT Conference

By Matthew Lombard | Published: April 11, 2024

Call for Abstracts

4TU.Ethics ESDIT Conference on
Rethinking Ethics – Reimagining Technology
October 2-4, 2024
University of Twente
The Netherlands
https://conference2024.ethicsandtechnology.eu

Submission deadline: April 24, 2024

The deadline for the abstract submission for the joint Ethics of Socially Disruptive Technologies (ESDiT) / 4TU.Center for Ethics and Technology international conference on “Rethinking Ethics – Reimagining Technology” is approaching. The deadline is 24 April 2024.

The conference will take place from October 2nd to October 4th at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

With the theme of “Rethinking Ethics – Reimagining Technology”, this conference aims to address the question of what philosophy and ethics of technology mean today. It accordingly seeks to bring together scholars working on philosophy and ethics of technology, whether this work concerns conceptual analysis, reflections on methods for studying and evaluating technology, case-studies in the ethics of (disruptive) technologies, sustainable technology, praxis-oriented approaches geared towards design and social implications, or topics related to these.… read more. “Call: Rethinking Ethics – Reimagining Technology, a 4TU.Ethics ESDIT Conference”

Posted in Calls | Leave a comment

  • Find Researchers

    Use the links below to find researchers listed alphabetically by the first letter of their last name.

    A | B | C | D | E | F| G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z