[Here’s a story from TechCrunch about Amazon’s new use of augmented reality, just in time for Halloween. See the original version for more pictures and a 38 second video (also available on YouTube), and a related ISPR Presence News post about Amazon’s “Distance Assistant” AR that helps warehouse workers stay socially distant. –Matthew] Amazon launches an AR app that works with new QR codes on its boxes Sarah Perez October 12, 2020 Amazon has quietly launched a new augmented reality application that works with QR codes on the company’s shipping boxes to create “interactive, shareable” AR experiences. Called simply “Amazon…

[The invention described in this story from the Cornell Chronicle has clear potential to improve social presence during mediated communication, especially with the limitations imposed by the pandemic. For more details and demonstrations, see the 4:22 minute video in the original story (it’s also on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: Captured video of a user’s facial expression (left), with a 3D model predicted by C-Face.] Earphone tracks facial expressions, even with a face mask By Melanie Lefkowitz October 12, 2020 Cornell researchers have invented an earphone that can continuously track full facial expressions by observing the contour of the cheeks – and…

[Researchers at Cambridge University collaborating with a 3D image analysis software company, have created software that lets users explore super-resolution microcopy data in virtual reality. This passage particularly struck me: “Anoushka Handa – a PhD student from Lee’s group – used the software to image an immune cell taken from her own blood, and then stood inside her own cell in virtual reality. ‘It’s incredible – it gives you an entirely different perspective on your work,’ she said.” For more information and a 5:07 minute walk-through video (also available via YouTube), see the LUME VR website. –Matthew] [Image: DBScan analysis…

[It’s often enlightening to see how various types of presence phenomena are dramatized in movies and television programs (e.g., the Telepresence in Media Environments project). A new 10-episode Fox TV event series that debuted last week is the latest example. The Chicago Sun-Times review below begins with the familiar example of a child speaking with (a fictional version of) Alexa that takes a creepy turn. For more information about the thinking behind the show see an interview with its creator from CBR. In an intriguing related development, Fox hired a “tech-focused creative shop” to develop an AI that then created…

[A new playful large-scale experiment with presence using augmented reality may lead to lots of interesting applications, as suggested near the end of this story from Wired; see the original version for a second image and a 1:17 minute video, and for more information see a June 2020 CNET story. –Matthew] Snapchat has turned London into an augmented reality experiment Snap has launched its first persistent, shareable augmented reality experience on London’s Carnaby Street – it’s a proof of concept for a 1:1 digital copy of everything on the planet By Will Bedingfield 8 October 2020 The dream of graffiti…

[I’ve been skeptical about the appeal of watching a television (or movie) screen within virtual reality, but this entertaining story from Esquire provides a first-person explanation, including some of the factors that enhance and reduce the appeal of this kind of presence experience. See the original version for two more images.  –Matthew] The Artful Opulence of Watching Netflix With the Oculus Quest 2 Proves VR Isn’t Just for Gaming The headset’s virtual reality living room, in which you’ll hunker down to catch up on TV, is nicer than your reality. By Justin Kirkland October 7, 2020 I am decidedly not…