International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • Call: Champions in Higher Education of XR (CHEX) Consortium

    Published:

    Call for Participation Champions in Higher Education of XR (CHEX) Consortium Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN) Calling all leaders and champions of VR/AR/MR (XR) initiatives at universities and colleges Champions in Higher Education of XR (CHEX) is a new consortium formed under the umbrella of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN at http://immersivelrn.org/) that brings together both administrators as well as faculty/staff grassroots leaders who are championing the adoption and use of XR and immersive technologies at colleges, universities, and college/university systems around the world. Many of these champions have oversight of XR initiatives at a campus, institution, or system-wide…

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  • How gentle, comforting video games help us to connect in these strange times

    Published:

    [While video games (and TV shows, books, etc.) provide valuable escape and distraction these days, this story describes how “gentle games” like Animal Crossing are providing an important sense of connection (social presence), along with safety, normalcy and control. The original version from MIT Technology Review includes several social media posts. –Matthew] Why games like Animal Crossing are the new social media of the coronavirus era Gentle, comforting games like Nintendo’s latest hit are perfect escapist entertainment, but they’re also helping us to connect in these strange times. by Tanya Basu April 16, 2020 If you’d told Areeba Imam a…

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  • Call: Respecting Human Autonomy through Human-Centered AI – NordiCHI 2020 workshop

    Published:

    Call for Participation Respecting Human Autonomy through Human-Centered AI A multidisciplinary workshop at NordiCHI 2020 October 25th or 26th (will be confirmed in August) Location: Talinn, Estonia (or possibly virtual) Workshop website: https://sway.office.com/b7kcCzg0kRJkGGPm?ref=Link Deadline for submissions: 28th August, 2020 NOTE: Owing to the current circumstances related to Covid -19, the conference organizers will make a decision about having a physical conference or a virtual conference. This workshop will follow the guidelines mentioned here- https://nordichi2020.org/#/ . We will update the information as soon as it is made available to us. AI is becoming more pervasive in our everyday lives and people…

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  • For university classrooms, are telepresence robots the next best thing to being there?

    Published:

    [This story from Oregon State University reports on an interesting new study comparing both student and instructor perceptions of a university class experienced in person, via distance learning and via telepresence robot. See the original version for two different images and for many more details see the published study. -Matthew] [Image: Fig. 3 from “Are We There Yet? Comparing Remote Learning Technologies in the University Classroom.” Participant responses to the post-class survey questions, separated by condition. The bars show the mean response for each grouping, and the error bars illustrate +/- one standard deviation. Starred lines above the bars indicate…

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  • Call: Human-Systems Interaction session at 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference

    Published:

    CALL FOR PAPERS HUMAN-SYSTEMS INTERACTION Session 2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference Yellowstone Conference Center Big Sky, Montana, March 6-13, 2021 http://aeroconf.org/ Abstracts are currently being accepted, due July 1, 2020 Dear all, We are now calling for abstracts for paper, for the session Human-Systems Interaction at the IEEE Aerospace Conference in Big Sky, Montana. This session consistently draws a fascinating group of innovators in our field for stimulating discussions in a fantastic setting. [TOPICS] Humans are the most critical element in system safety, reliability and performance. Their creativity, adaptability and problem-solving capabilities are key to resilient operations across the different aerospace…

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  • Apple patent would let you create virtual group selfies with social distancing

    Published:

    [A newly granted Apple patent would allow people in the same or different locations to create (and later modify) group selfie photos automatically, an intriguing way to manipulate perceptions of reality especially during social distancing. 9to5Mac is among the many publications covering the development; follow the link at the end of this story for more details and images. –Matthew] [Image: Source: KnowTechie] Apple patent would let you create virtual group selfies with social distancing Ben Lovejoy June 8, 2020 An Apple patent first filed almost two years ago looks rather prescient today: it allows you to create virtual group selfies…

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  • Call: OzCHI 2020 – 32nd Australian Conference on Human-Computer-Interaction

    Published:

    Call for Papers and Late-Breaking Work OzCHI 2020 – 32nd Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction Virtual Conference 2-4 December 2020 http://www.ozchi.org/2020/ Abstract submission deadline: 7 August 2020 Papers and Late-Breaking Work deadline: 14 August 2020 OzCHI is the annual non-profit conference for the Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group (CHISIG) and Australia’s leading forum for the latest in HCI research and practice. OzCHI attracts a broad international community of researchers, industry practitioners, academics and students. Participants come from a range of backgrounds and include interaction designers, user experience (UX) practitioners, information architects, software engineers, human factors experts, information systems analysts and…

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  • Museum From Home AR app virtually transports famous artworks into your home

    Published:

    [This story from ZDNet describes efforts to create presence experiences of original art in people’s homes, an especially useful prospect during the social distancing required by a pandemic. Follow the link (and submit your email address) to read the sponsored study comparing EEG and self-reported memory for art presented in four formats: “Augmented reality, virtual reality, a 2-dimensional image on an iPad, and a real painting hung in [a] museum’s gallery.” Find the new free Cuseum AR app by searching for Cuseum or the app name, [AR]T Museum.” And for more details see coverage from ARPost and a story in…

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  • Call: Edited volume on Live Streaming Culture

    Published:

    Call for Abstracts Edited volume: Live Streaming Culture Editors: Johanna Brewer, Bo Ruberg, Amanda L. L. Cullen, and Christopher Persaud https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J8W7er3wrnNNxS98EoyJwCBZ60sCtnqbAZ1ikqYBkL8 Abstract Deadline: July 17, 2020 Live streaming is a rapidly growing phenomenon that is having profound effects on the contemporary landscape of digital media, entertainment, and online culture. Across the internet, live streaming takes an array of forms: from gaming-focused sites like Twitch and Mixer, where millions of viewers watch live video gameplay, to social media sites like Facebook and YouTube, where streamers translate their day-to-day lives into broadcasts. As with all technological platforms, live streaming is deeply shaped…

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  • Microsoft HoloLens used to protect doctors from exposure to COVID-19 patients

    Published:

    [The telepresence produced with Microsoft’s HoloLens headsets is being used to protect doctors, as reported in this story from Business Insider. For more information, a large photo gallery and a 1:00 minute video, see the Microsoft News Centre UK. –Matthew] Doctors in London hospitals are using headsets from Microsoft to reduce the amount of staff coming into contact with COVID-19 patients Isobel Asher Hamilton May 25, 2020 Doctors in London hospitals are using mixed-reality headsets from Microsoft to reduce the amount of staff coming into contact with COVID-19 patients. The headsets look like a visor that encircles the head, and…

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  • Call: Online Education: Teaching in a Time of Change – 2021 virtual conference

    Published:

    Call for Abstracts Online Education: Teaching in a Time of Change A virtual conference coordinated by Routledge, AMPS and PARADE April 21-23, 2021 https://architecturemps.com/online-ed-conference/ Abstracts due June 30, 2020 (Early Review) Abstract Submission Form (.docx) CONTEXT: Recent events across the world of academia have brought into full light the various agendas around online education and research. As universities, schools and colleges closed across the world in 2020, researchers, teachers and students scrambled to adapt to a whole host of new pedagogical tools, communicative techniques, learning methods and teaching styles almost overnight. Some survived, others thrived, while some struggled and ultimately…

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  • “Galactic Center VR”: Experience 500 years of cosmic evolution in NASA visualization

    Published:

    [Escape the travails of 2020 on earth with a new virtual reality visualization from NASA; more details, images, and multiple videos are available in the original version of this story from NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory. –Matthew] A New Galactic Center Adventure in Virtual Reality A new visualization, “Galactic Center VR,” features simulations of material streaming toward the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole known as Sgr A*. Users can experience the last 500 years of cosmic evolution in this area in a free virtual reality program. Blue and cyan show the simulation’s X-ray emission from hot gas due to the supersonic…

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