[“Would you like a clone robot of yourself” or another person? Interesting Engineering reports on a Russian startup making it possible. Follow the links for more information about Robo-C, and for more on Russia and robots see recent coverage by BBC News. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Promobot website] Russian Firm Sells Autonomous Robot Clones of Real People The androids are both for professional and personal use. By Loukia Papadopoulos November 03, 2019 Russian startup Promobot is now selling autonomous robot clones of any real person. This is the key selling point of their robot called Robo-C as their website states: “Order…

[A new TimeRide attraction in Berlin recreates the fall of the Wall 30 years ago; the story below from The Local Germany via AFP, which includes more pictures and a 3:48 minute video, describes the VR-based experience and its purpose, using many presence-related terms. The Boston Globe adds that “tourists at Checkpoint Charlie can [also] wander through a vast panorama designed to evoke the city at the height of its division” and “[o]utside of Vilnius, Lithuania, for a modest price, visitors can experience a kind of Soviet-era theme park, an underground bunker complete with barking German shepherds. Apparently, you are handed a tattered coat,…

[Mashable reports on a 14-year-old’s clever invention that uses presence to improve auto safety by removing drivers’ blind spots; see the original version of the story for 2 short videos. More information is available from a press release via PR Newswire. –Matthew] Teen girl invents simple, yet innovative way to remove blind spots in cars By Sasha Lekach October 31, 2019 I’ll admit it: I’ve had a pedestrian enter the crosswalk without me immediately noticing because they were blocked by the right side of my car. But what if your car frame didn’t block your line of sight while driving?…

[A team at the National University of Singapore has developed a virtual reality game that incorporates heat, smell and touch in a novel way likely to evoke more intense and engaging presence experiences. The story below is from NUS News, where it features a different picture and a 1:54 minute video; more information including images and a second video is available at the CUTE Center website. –Matthew] NUS team creates interactive, multisensory VR game 14 October 2019 A team of researchers and developers from the Keio-NUS CUTE (Connective Ubiquitous Technology for Embodiments) Center at NUS has developed a novel mixed…

[A new app created at the University of Southern California augments 2D printed graphics with interactive 3D images to provide users a presence experience that more effectively communicates scientific data. This story from USC News is followed by an excerpt from subsequent coverage in USC’s Annenberg Media. A 1:33 minute demonstration video is available via YouTube and you can download the app (and soon the companion app for creators) here. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Courtesy of Tyler Ard and Arthur Toga] Augmented reality app adds interactive enhancements to scientific posters, presentations A new smartphone app created by USC scientists uses augmented…

[This story from Aeon describes new research that demonstrates changes in the brain when actors and others play a role. It’s not hard to read this from the conclusion and extend the logic to vivid, presence-evoking, mediated experiences: “By roleplaying or acting out the kind of person we would like to become, or merely by thinking about and spending time with people who embody the kind of attributes we would like to see in ourselves, we can find that our sense of self changes in desirable ways. ‘As each of us chooses who to befriend, who to model, and who…