[Last week Stephen Colbert, the host of The Late Show on CBS (in the US), used a clever iPad-based invention he calls the “Ask-O-Matic” to interview voters and a presidential candidate in advance of today’s Iowa caucuses; the funny 7:46 minute video segment is available via YouTube. But this technology isn’t new: Colbert introduced it on the September 20, 2012 episode of his previous TV program, The Colbert Report, when he interviewed documentarian Errol Morris. See a brief discussion on the New Territory Media blog and watch that earlier segment (start at 3:46) as well as the episode’s sign-off on…

[This post from Scientific American’s Voices blog makes a strong argument that creators of presence experiences need to work hard to make them accessible to all of us. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Getty Images] Virtual Reality Has an Accessibility Problem It’s been touted as an “empathy machine” that lets users see what it’s like to have a disability—but people with disabilities often can’t use it By Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips January 29, 2020 Virtual reality has come a long way since the 1960s-era Sensorama, which looked like a vintage arcade game and required the user to walk up and stick one’s head…

[This story from the Frontiers Science News blog describes a new study that uses virtual reality to manipulate the nature of experienced reality (i.e., presence) for participants to investigate how human-sensory systems integrate different types of perceptual cues. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Porras, D. C., Zeilig, G., Doniger, G. M., Bahat, Y., Inzelberg, R., & Plotnik, M. (2020). Seeing Gravity: Gait Adaptations to Visual and Physical Inclines – A Virtual Reality Study. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.01308] What goes up may actually be down By Michael Becker, Frontiers Science Writer January 24, 2020 Gravity is the unseen force that dominates our…

[This piece from SMPTE’s monthly Newswatch is a long but useful read about enhancements and limitations in our ability to replicate nonmediated reality and the value of devising tools to distort it for artistic reasons; in both cases it argues that we need to understand the capabilities of the human perceptual system. See especially the discussion of the misleading term “hyper-reality” and the proposal at the end for developing “adaptive technology.” –Matthew] [Image: A shot from Ang Lee’s technically groundbreaking “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.” Credit: Mary Cybulski/Sony-TriStar Pictures via Associated Press. Source: Los Angeles Times.] Hot Button Discussion How…

[Here are some informed assessments and predictions about the increasingly prominent role of presence-evoking technologies in retail. The story is from Nielsen where it includes three charts; for some concrete examples see a related story from Trade Only Today. –Matthew] Augmented Retail: The New Consumer Reality By John Tavolieri, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Nielsen Global Connect CPG, FMCG & RETAIL December 12, 2019 Consumers today are increasingly craving immersive, real-life experiences. But they want these experiences without foregoing time or effort. The solution? Augmented and virtual reality (A/VR) technology, coming to a “store” near you. Many of us feel…

[If you’re a member of the ISPR Presence Community Facebook group you may have seen the impressive 48 second YouTube video that demonstrates the clever use of mixed reality described in this story from Fast Company. For more information see Greg Madison’s Twitter post. –Matthew] In the home of the future, every surface is an interface A UX magician maps a VR world over his apartment to create an entirely new interactive environment. Could your home be next? By Mark Wilson January 22, 2020 Virtual reality is still in its infancy. But thanks to Greg Madison, who is both a…

[This personal story from The Guardian (where the original features several more photos) thoughtfully captures some of the changing nature of, and the benefits and concerns raised by, how our presence continues via technology after we die. It also inadvertently provides a contrast to the world-wide remembrances and mourning of Kobe Bryant. –Matthew] [Image: The last post: Martyn Hett, 29, who died in the Manchester Arena bombing. ‘The mixed-media self-portrait that Martyn created is, in many ways, the real him.’ Credit: PA.] Love, loss and virtual memorials: my brother’s digital legacy When Martyn Hett was killed in the Manchester terror…