[Yet another positive application of presence-evoking technology is described in this story from the Midwest Messenger. See the original version for three more images and a 1:40 minute video (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: The virtual reality glasses and “Rollover Ranch” game, which instills farm safety, feels like the real thing as a student virtually drives a farm vehicle, while in the St. Edwards gymnasium. Credit: Submitted photo] Safety goggles: Virtual reality game teaches kids farm safety By Amy Hadachek January 18, 2023 Tractors and ATV rollovers are reported to be the biggest cause of farm-related deaths each year,…

[This short story from The Guardian provides a first-person report on a new application of presence-evoking virtual reality to teach users breathing techniques that control anxiety. See the original version for two more images and a 46 second video (also available via YouTube). For more on The Insight Project, the larger collaboration between the University of Cambridge and Ninja Theory, “an ambitious combination of technology, game design and clinical neuroscience brought together with the aim of treating mental suffering and encouraging mental wellbeing,” see a 6:41 minute video on the Ninja Theory or the Project’s website or via YouTube, and…

[This Time magazine story describes and assesses two virtual recreations of Martin Luther King delivering his 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech. Without using the terminology, it notes elements that enhance and detract from (or ‘break’) presence. The original version of the story includes a second image and a 27:41 minute video. See also a new 2:11 minute news report from NBC 4 in New York about how Long Island students experienced the speech in virtual reality for this year’s Martin Luther King holiday. For more context see the 2020 story “How TIME Re-created the 1963 March on Washington in…

[Rapidly evolving artificial intelligence tools are making it increasingly difficult for consumer to determine the extent and nature of the role of technology in the creation of images, text, voices, videos and now, as described in this story from Fast Company, presentation slides. See the original story for a one-minute video, a PR Newswire press release for more details and a 30-second video, and Tanya Smith’s getnoticedwithvideo TikTok account for a 2:30 minute demo video. –Matthew] New generative AI tool instantly builds PowerPoints and presentation decks Beautiful.ai launches a generative tool to help PowerPoint users overcome writer’s block and the…

[This story from MIT Technology Review describes a particularly powerful application of social presence, and illustrates how maximizing the level of perceptual realism should not always be the goal. Here are four key quotes from the story; see the original version for pictures of Claire and Ted Matte and Tom Nicel and his avatar: “’The lightbulb went off in my head—people feel like they’re really together in VR,’ [EvolVR founder] Jeremy [Nickel] says. That feeling of true presence, as if avatars were really sharing a room together, convinced him that a spiritual community could form among people wearing headsets.” “The…

[This CNET story provides an interesting first-person tour of the current (and likely future) options for providing haptic sensations that enhance presence experiences. See the original story for five more images and three videos.  –Matthew] [Image: Trying out HaptX haptic gloves in Las Vegas: These are considered the best, but they’re absolutely huge. Credit: Scott Stein/CNET] The Revelation I Got From Experiencing HaptX Is Wild I tested gloves and buzzing things in Las Vegas to see where the future points. By Scott Stein January 9, 2023 I put my hands out flat and loaded them into a pair of gloves…