International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • Scientists try to teach robot to laugh

    Published:

    [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…

    Read more: Scientists try to teach robot to laugh

  • Job: Tenure-track Assistant Position in Video Game Narrative at University of Utah

    Published:

    [From the Gamesnetwork e-list. –Matthew] Call for Applications Tenure-Track Assistant Professor Position in Video Game Narrative Department of English University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/139183 Application deadline: November 1, 2022 Hi, My friends over in the English department have asked me to share this with you. The TL;DR is that they’re hiring someone specializing in video game narrative. I’m happy to chat with anyone curious about working/living in Utah and I can also say that the unit I’m in (Entertainment Arts & Engineering) does collaborate with the English department – and that this position would (ideally) strengthen those…

    Read more: Job: Tenure-track Assistant Position in Video Game Narrative at University of Utah

  • NFL Pro Era turned me into a quarterback in VR – and it was a total blast

    Published:

    [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.”…

    Read more: NFL Pro Era turned me into a quarterback in VR – and it was a total blast

  • Job: Open rank faculty position in Data Visualization at University of Maryland, College Park

    Published:

    Call for Applications Open Rank Assistant/Associate/Professor of Data Visualization College of Information Studies University of Maryland, College Park Position Number:  127667 https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/99435 “Best consideration date”: December 15, 2022 The College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park (iSchool) (https://ischool.umd.edu/) invites applications for an open rank tenured or tenure track faculty position in the area of data visualization and visual analytics. The iSchool particularly seeks candidates whose scholarship and teaching interests are centered and focused on one or more of the following areas: Data visualization; Visual analytics; Ubiquitous, immersive, and situated analytics; and Human-computer interaction for visual data…

    Read more: Job: Open rank faculty position in Data Visualization at University of Maryland, College Park

  • ‘Phantom Touch’ and the (Real) Pleasures of Virtual Dating

    Published:

    [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…

    Read more: ‘Phantom Touch’ and the (Real) Pleasures of Virtual Dating

  • Job: Research Associate in VR/AR Technology at the University of Bath, UK

    Published:

    Call for Applications Research Associate in VR/AR Technology Department of Computer Science University of Bath, UK Fixed-term post, up to 30 months https://www.bath.ac.uk/jobs/Vacancy.aspx?ref=CC9699R Closing date: October 2, 2022 As part of the recently funded European Media and Immersion Lab (EMIL), the Department of Computer Science are looking for a highly motivated individual to conduct research in the area of VR/AR. The project aims to design exciting new VR/AR systems, focusing on systems that involve physical activity such as VR exercise games (“exergames”), explore their effects on users, and develop new technology that makes it easier to create such systems. This…

    Read more: Job: Research Associate in VR/AR Technology at the University of Bath, UK

  • Presence and retail: More people are using VR and AR for shopping

    Published:

    [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…

    Read more: Presence and retail: More people are using VR and AR for shopping

  • Job: Assistant Professor in Digital Media at Washington University in St Louis

    Published:

    Call for Applications Assistant Professor in Digital Media Program in Film & Media Studies, School of Arts & Sciences Washington University in St Louis St Louis, Missouri, USA https://apply.interfolio.com/112971 University: https://wustl.edu Program: https://fms.wustl.edu For full consideration, candidates are encouraged to apply by October 14, 2022 DESCRIPTION The Program in Film & Media Studies at Washington University in St. Louis invites applications from scholars (and scholar-artists) of digital media to fill a tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor. Areas of research and creative interest might include: social media, video games, artificial intelligence, digital design, algorithmic culture, algorithmic bias, computational media,…

    Read more: Job: Assistant Professor in Digital Media at Washington University in St Louis

  • HeroX/Airbus Challenge winners explore presence in future air travel

    Published:

    [This press release from Airbus describes the five winning submissions by companies and individuals of the HeroX/Airbus Metaverse and the Future of Flight Challenge to envision “immersive, experiential ways in which a passenger can interact with the metaverse during the travel process” (quote from an April 2022 press release via PR Newswire). A search failed to reveal additional information about most winners but for more on Imirsifi’s entry see that company’s website. –Matthew] Exploring virtual reality’s future in air travel September 13, 2022 Imagine a future airline in-flight experience where travellers can enter a virtual environment via the Metaverse without…

    Read more: HeroX/Airbus Challenge winners explore presence in future air travel

  • Job: Assistant Professor – Communication Technology at Ohio State University

    Published:

    Call for Applications Assistant Professor – Communication Technology School of Communication The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio, United States (On-Site) Job ID: 65398496 https://careers.icahdq.org/job/assistant-professor-communication-technology/65398496/ Review of applications will begin on October 1, 2022 and will continue until the position is filled DESCRIPTION: The School of Communication at The Ohio State University invites applications for a 9-month full time tenure-track assistant professor position to begin August 2023. The successful applicant will conduct communication technology-relevant research and teach courses in areas such as user experience (UX), human-computer interaction (HCI), usability testing and evaluation, video games, social media, and mobile communication. We welcome applicants…

    Read more: Job: Assistant Professor – Communication Technology at Ohio State University

  • Martina Navratilova-backed VR platform may be a game-changer for cognitive training in tennis

    Published:

    [A new tennis simulator for virtual reality, with haptic feedback and both physical and mental training routines, will be available to the public starting in October; this story from Forbes (where the original includes two more pictures and three videos) provides the details. Key quote from Martina Navratilova: “The ball is coming at you a 100 miles per hour, you better be ready… It’s not the real deal, but it’s as close as you can get. All things being equal, of course you want to be on the court, but this is the best substitute.” –Matthew] Martina Navratilova-Backed Virtual Reality…

    Read more: Martina Navratilova-backed VR platform may be a game-changer for cognitive training in tennis

  • Call: Human Centered AI (HCAI) workshop at NeurIPS 2022

    Published:

    Call for Participation HCAI@NeurIPS2022 Human Centered AI workshop at NeurIPS 2022, the 36th Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems A VIRTUAL workshop December 9, 2022 Workshop: https://hcai-at-neurips.github.io/site/ NeurIPS 2022: https://hcai-at-neurips.github.io/site/ Submission deadline: September 22, 2022 Many institutions, researchers, and thought leaders have recently promoted the notion that AI systems should be human-centered. Although there is no consensus definition for what human-centered AI means, it commonly refers to a set of principles that AI systems ought to be (a) reliable, safe, and trustworthy; (b) relatively free from bias and not promote or reinforce existing structural inequalities; (c) empowering people by supporting…

    Read more: Call: Human Centered AI (HCAI) workshop at NeurIPS 2022

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