[This interesting link-filled piece from The Conversation examines the role and significance of a variety of medium-as-social-actor presence experiences for humans. The original version includes two more images. –Matthew] Why we love robotic dogs, puppets and dolls Brent Rodriguez-Plate, Visiting Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Hamilton College September 13, 2018 There’s a lot of hype around the release of Sony’s latest robotic dog. It’s called “aibo,” and is promoted as using artificial intelligence to respond to people looking at it, talking to it and touching it. Japanese customers have already bought over 20,000 units, and it is expected to come…

[This story from ABC News in Australia describes one of several efforts to use presence to provide patients and their family, friends and caregivers the experience of various health conditions. The original story includes four more pictures and the 1:50 minute 360 degree video (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: The VR experience was filmed at a Sydney school with students from Tyler’s class. Credit: ABC Radio Sydney: Harriet Tatham] Virtual reality experience replicates life as a child with hearing loss By Harriet Tatham September 24, 2018 For anybody with hearing loss, articulating the isolation it causes is almost impossible.…

[The latest presence-evoking experiences from Philharmonia Orchestra take you on-stage during performances of works by Beethoven and Mahler. The abridged press release below via The Corner Shop PR provides the details. Find a news report on this topic in The Times (requires subscription). Luke Ritchie, Head of Innovation and Partnerships for the Orchestra, describes the development of the VR projects and the potential and challenges the format represents in a 2017 story in ArtsProfessional. A first person report on the earlier “Virtual Orchestra” experience is available from ClassicFM. The Philharmonia website indicates that all of the showings this month at the…

[Our surroundings when we eat, whether real or virtual, affect how the food tastes to us, according to new research reported in the Cornell Chronicle. For details follow the link to the new publication in the Journal of Food Science. For a related story see a November 2017 post in ISPR Presence News. –Matthew] [Image: Cows enjoy spacious accommodation at the new Cornell University Ruminant Center in Harford, New York. Source: Cornell Chronicle.] Eating with your eyes: Virtual reality can alter taste By Blaine Friedlander September 20, 2018 Humans not only relish the sweet, savory and saltiness of foods, but…

[Presence experiences are increasingly being used to combat and aid recovery from the all-too-common scourge of sexual harassment and violence. This story from Reuters via Canadian HR Reporter highlights the work of some of our colleagues; for more information about Vantage Point, see a March 2018 ISPR Presence News post. –Matthew] Virtual reality tackles real-life sex abuse Umberto Bacchi September 10, 2018 Your boss ends a meeting by grabbing a colleague and asking her to “pack something fitting” for the party you’re all planning after an out-of-town conference. Do you a) say something or b) let it pass? That’s the…

[The creators of a new child robot for training medical students have purposely adjusted the level of presence it evokes for its users by making it as realistic as possible in function but not maximally realistic in appearance. Note the comments in the story from Wired about breaks in presence (without using that term) and the observation that even plain rubber dummies can evoke intense responses. For much more information including images and videos, see the Gaumard website, and see NBC Bay Area for a 3:48 minute video news report and a 9:33 minute 360 video. –Matthew] This Hyper-Real Robot…