International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • Call: Panels for CHI 2022

    Published:

    Call for Panels CHI 2022: ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems April 30 – May 6, 2022 New Orleans and online [see below] https://chi2022.acm.org/for-authors/interacting-and-discussing/panels/ Submission deadline: December 16, 2021 Hello! We are soliciting Panels for the CHI 2022 (https://chi2022.acm.org/) conference, which will take place in early May 2022 in New Orleans. Please check out the Panels CFP here: https://chi2022.acm.org/for-authors/interacting-and-discussing/panels/ The deadline is not until December 16, 2021, but we wanted to give you plenty of notice to be able to curate your best and most exciting panel submissions! Panels will be held in their own 60-minute session…

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  • Virtual reality boosts brain rhythms crucial for neuroplasticity, learning and memory

    Published:

    [This is an interesting press release from UCLA via MedicalXpress about new neurophysics research that compares responses to virtual reality and the real world; it raises many questions about how we can measure and manipulate presence and its impacts. For more information see Maynak Mehta‘s website. –Matthew] Virtual reality boosts brain rhythms crucial for neuroplasticity, learning and memory by University of California, Los Angeles June 28, 2021 A new discovery in rats shows that the brain responds differently in immersive virtual reality environments versus the real world. The finding could help scientists understand how the brain brings together sensory information…

    Read more: Virtual reality boosts brain rhythms crucial for neuroplasticity, learning and memory

  • Call: ACM Interactive Surfaces and Spaces 2021

    Published:

    Call for Papers ACM Interactive Surfaces and Spaces 2021 Łódź, Poland and online [see Note below] November 14 to 17 http://iss.acm.org/2021/ NOTE: ISS 2021 will be a hybrid event: Accepted papers are invited to present at the conference, and authors can choose whether or not they wish to present. Because of the evolving situation with COVID-19 and the difficulties of running a physical in-person conference, ACM ISS will allow remote participation. While we do not know what the exact format of the conference will be, we will ensure everyone can present their papers at ISS. ACM ISS 2021 has two separate…

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  • Hands-on: Varjo’s Reality Cloud platform captures and shares physical spaces in real-time

    Published:

    [This story from Road to VR evaluates a new presence-evoking technology announced by the company Varjo, which is promoting its Reality Cloud platform as “allowing the ultimate science fiction dream, photorealistic virtual teleportation, to come true.” Here’s a little of what Varjo says in a blog post announcement: “With Varjo Reality Cloud and Varjo XR-3, anybody will be able to capture their surroundings in 3D and then invite somebody else to join that same exact reality, see and hear others, and share their experience in absolute immersion. Instead of jumping on a plane, you will be able to teleport to…

    Read more: Hands-on: Varjo’s Reality Cloud platform captures and shares physical spaces in real-time

  • Call: “Human-centered AI” Topical Collection for AI Perspectives

    Published:

    Call for Papers: AI Perspectives Ongoing Topical Collection: Human-centered AI https://aiperspectives.springeropen.com/call-for-papers–human-centered-ai AI technologies are defining our everyday lives in ways which few other technologies have been done before. In more and more contexts, these AI technologies directly interact with humans in various ways, from self-driving cars to surveillance systems to medical diagnosis systems and human-robot teams. It is apparent from these impacts already observed that Human-centered AI can potentially have a lot of positive but also negative social impacts. To address and mitigate potential negative repercussions of AI, the international research community has started a variety of initiatives. For instance,…

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  • Readers reply: How do we know we’re not living in a simulation like the Matrix?

    Published:

    [The Guardian recently published a “Readers Reply” discussion about the ultimate form of presence, the idea that our entire universe is a sophisticated simulation. Here’s a slightly abridged version with a few of my favorite comments highlighted (with [*]). –Matthew] Readers reply: how do we know we’re not living in a simulation like the Matrix? The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts 13 June 2021 Isn’t this just the kind of article our biomechanical overlords would simulate in order to keep us compliant…

    Read more: Readers reply: How do we know we’re not living in a simulation like the Matrix?

  • Call: ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology (VRST 2021)

    Published:

    Call for Papers/Posters/Demos VRST 2021 ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology Osaka, Japan and online December 8 – 10, 2021 https://vrst.acm.org/vrst2021/ Paper submission deadline: July 15, 2021 Posters and demos submission deadline: August 15, 2021 The ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology (VRST) is the premier international symposium for the presentation of new research results, systems, and techniques among researchers and developers on augmented, virtual and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR, XR for short) software and technology. VRST brings together the premier international research groups working on XR, along with many of the world’s leading companies that provide…

    Read more: Call: ACM Symposium on Virtual Reality Software and Technology (VRST 2021)

  • VR therapy: Why it works and is poised to address COVID-related mental health crisis

    Published:

    [Although it may seem surprising that reliving a person’s traumatic experience via virtual reality can help them recover from the event, this story from The New York Times explains how this positive application of presence works using personal examples. See the original story for three short videos, and for more about Chris Merkle’s experience see a 2017 Rolling Stone article. As the story below and a related Business Insider story note, VR is likely to also be helpful in addressing mental health issues caused by the pandemic. –Matthew] Virtual Reality Therapy Plunges Patients Back Into Trauma. Here Is Why Some…

    Read more: VR therapy: Why it works and is poised to address COVID-related mental health crisis

  • Artificial skin bruises like the real thing

    Published:

    [A new type of artificial skin reveals damage from injuries like human skin does, as reported in this story from New Atlas. Coverage in Futurism suggests the potential to enhance medium-as-social actor presence in joking that “Terminator-like robots could use [the technology] to blend in among us unsuspecting humans.” –Matthew] Artificial skin bruises like the real thing By Nick Lavars June 21, 2021 Scientists in China have developed a novel material they say could improve the performance of prosthetic devices and robotics, by allowing them to sense injuries just like people. The artificial skin uses a special gel that changes…

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  • Call: ISMAR 2021 Contest – Natural Social Interactions at the Hybrid Conference of the Future

    Published:

    Call for Entries in ISMAR 2021 Contest to provide Natural Social Interactions at the Hybrid Conference of the Future ISMAR 2021: IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality October 4-8, 2021 Bari, Italy http://www.ismar21.org Contest entries due: July 19, 2021 OVERVIEW This is an open invitation to anyone interested in Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Virtual Reality (VR) to participate in the ISMAR Contest. The ISMAR Contest will be held during IEEE ISMAR 2021, the premier conference for AR and MR, October 4-8, 2021. PURPOSE The purpose of the ISMAR Contest is to stimulate innovative and creative…

    Read more: Call: ISMAR 2021 Contest – Natural Social Interactions at the Hybrid Conference of the Future

  • World’s First 10k 3D Planetarium Was Once A WWII German Rocket Bunker

    Published:

    [SyFy Wire reports on a state-of-the-art planetarium in Northern France that seems sure to offer impressive presence experiences. The original story includes two more images and the referenced press release, which describes “An absolute immersive experience” in which “Users & the audience will feel as if they are really travelling through the Universe & stepping into educational shows,” links to a 2:15 minute video (also available via Vimeo) and other resources. –Matthew] World’s First 10k 3D Planetarium Was Once A WWII German Rocket Bunker By Jeff Spry June 18, 2021 Making more illuminating use out of an old Nazi rocket…

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  • Call: Recruit participants for XR/VR/AR studies on XR Distributed Research Network (XRDRN)

    Published:

    Call for Studies: XR Distributed Research Network (XRDRN) https://www.xrdrn.org/about/ The XR Distributed Research Network (XRDRN) is a platform for researchers in the Cross-Reality (XR/VR/AR) discipline, created in response to the Covid-19 emergency lockdown. The aim is to provide a home for researchers to upload their current XR research projects and find participants for their research. XR research often requires participants, but during the pandemic, the only way researchers can get participants is by distributing activities online. Many researchers have noted difficulty and effort in both publicising their projects and recruiting participants. We hope researchers will upload their projects, and also…

    Read more: Call: Recruit participants for XR/VR/AR studies on XR Distributed Research Network (XRDRN)

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