[Virtual reality and presence are playing an important role in helping the medical community fight the pandemic, as reported in this story from TechRepublic (where the original includes a 7:24 minute video); for more on the Oxford Medical Simulation system see coverage in The Guardian, and for more on how immersive technology companies are helping, see a story in Forbes. –Matthew] [Image: Two doctors talk with a patient in this animated training image. Credit: Oxford Medical Simulation] 17,000 doctors and nurses training for COVID-19 pandemic using VR technology By Todd R. Weiss in Innovation April 2, 2020 Oxford Medical Simulation…

[BBT University in Tokyo used telepresence robots and Zoom to produce a virtual graduation ceremony for its students, as reported in this story from Business Insider (based on a report from the University). Coverage in LADbible adds this detail: “The novel and innovative ceremony was the idea of Professor Shugo Yanaka, Dean of Global Business Administration at the university. He said: ‘While new coronavirus measures are required, the introduction of avatars can realise a warm online graduation ceremony. We hope this initiative will be helpful to educational institutions who are having difficulty holding graduation ceremonies and entrance ceremonies.’” Interesting Engineering’s…

[This is a short, uplifting story about an effort to evoke social presence at a couple’s wedding ceremony while practicing social distancing. It’s from WSBT TV (Atlanta) via WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, Ohio) via CNN; see the WSBT website for a 2:03 minute video news report and for more details read a story in The Herald-Palladium. –Matthew] [Image: Source: The Herald-Palladium] Couple replaces wedding guests with cardboard cutouts due to coronavirus April 2, 2020 DOWAGIAC, Mich. (WSBT/CNN) – A Michigan groom got creative for his church wedding during the coronavirus pandemic, commissioning cardboard cutouts of guests, so his wife wouldn’t have to…

[There isn’t a single overview story (yet) about the many efforts to continue to provide the comfort and therapeutic value of in-person interactions with dogs (and other pets) in a mediated format during the pandemic, but this story from the Winnipeg Free Press is a good, and heartwarming, example. Here’s a key quote: “It was like a regular real visit, but just through the phone. They (the [seniors home] residents) were just ecstatic. … They were talking to him as if he were actually here. They were just enthralled with the fact they could still see Mark-Cuss for a visit.”…

[This story from the BBC features thoughtful reflections on the nature of actual and virtual travel in and beyond the era of the pandemic. See the original for three more pictures. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: mustafagull/Getty Images] With most of the world homebound, it’s time to reflect on what it actually means to travel – and whether it’s possible to travel without, well, travelling. By Toby Skinner 31 March 2020 Against a backdrop of whistling wind and heavy breathing, a man with a Germanic accent is yelling at me: “Take your time!”. I try to focus on the ascender clips on…

[The tragedy of the Coronavirus pandemic is highlighting our need for, and the nature of, effective social presence. This personal reflection from WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, highlights some of the issues, including the effectiveness of less ‘rich’ media. –Matthew] [Image: Each text, each silly emoji, reminds me that my people are out there, their cursors blinking in the darkness just like mine, writes Whitney Scharer. Credit: Christin Hume/Unsplash] COMMENTARY All Of My Friendships Are Virtual Again March 27, 2020 Whitney Scharer I went to college in 1995, a time when — as my 10-year-old daughter was horrified to learn…