[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…

[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:…

[Many of the most interesting and positive applications of presence start with an individual person being inspired after learning about presence-evoking technologies and what they can do. A collaborative project at Texas Christian University is designed to create those learning and inspiring experiences for more students, faculty, and staff on the TCU campus. Note that even the VR cart they created for the effort is likely to evoke medium-as-social actor presence (!). –Matthew] Virtual Reality on Wheels: A Mobile Cart Showcases Emerging Tech at TCU By Justine ArensMarch 30, 2026 Classroom technology is no longer confined to a room or…

[Both the analog and digital simulations described in this story from The Aerospace Corporation are designed to help participants overlook the roles of technology, defined broadly, but the use of 3D scanning and holograms as they would operate in expeditions to distant moons and planets is of particular note. The headline of a similar story from Aerospace Testing International is “Engineer completes Mars-analog telepresence mission”; see the original version of either story for a 3:49 minute video (also available via YouTube). –Matthew] Aerospace Engineer Braves the Arctic to Support the Next Chapter of Space Exploration Analog missions conducted in extreme…

[Researchers at TU Graz (Graz University of Technology) in Austria have developed an AI-based interactive virtual environment to help people affected by autism learn social skills. The original version of the story below includes a second image. For more details, see the Scientific Reports article “Large language models for autism: Evaluating theory of mind tasks in a gamified environment.” For more about ETAP ((Early) detection and personalisation of autism spectrum disorder therapy for prevention), which is mentioned in the story, see the ETAP website. –Matthew] [Image: Re-enacting everyday situations is intended to prepare people for similar situations. Credit: HCC –…

[Although she doesn’t use the term, the author of this story from HuffPost explores her own and others’ medium-as-social-actor presence responses to the increasingly common delivery robots in our public spaces. The story features quotes from two of our colleagues and friends; see the original version for three more images. –Matthew] [Image: Josephine Rios, of Service Employees International Union — United Healthcare Workers West, asks a delivery robot if it wants to sign a petition to tax billionaires. She said since so many jobs are going to AI, why not ask a robot to sign. Credit: Myung J. Chun via…