[This thoughtful column by a marketer comes as Google has announced its first prototype of an ad format for virtual reality. The column is from Mumbrella and you can read about and see a demo of the VR ad on the Google Developers Blog. –Matthew] It’s not long now until we’re playing God! As marketers explore the potential of virtual and augmented reality worlds Shae Duncan asks whether enough thought has been given to the ethical aspects of the products, in a post which is part of the LinkedIn Agency Influencer program. By Shae Duncan, a business executive at Society…

[It’s early days, but there’s great potential for the use of presence by surgeons. This story is from New Scientist and for more information see the press release from Cambridge Consultants and coverage in MIT Technology Review and Forbes. –Matthew] Augmented reality goggles give surgeons X-ray vision By Matt Reynolds 11 May 2017 Augmented reality could soon let surgeons peer inside a patient’s body without needing to make a large incision, helping them to carry out keyhole surgery. By donning an augmented reality headset, a surgeon will see a virtual 3D map of a patient’s internal organs overlaid directly onto…

[Eye fatigue is a barrier to effective presence experiences and the research described in this news release from the Optical Society of America suggests a possible solution that shifts the operation of displays to match how humans see. –Matthew] [Image: The new display creates a 3D image using optical mapping. An OLED screen is divided into four subpanels that each create a 2D picture. The spatial multiplexing unit (SMU) shifts each of these images to different depths while aligning the centers of all of them with the viewing axis. Through the eyepiece, each image appears to be at different depth.…

[This press release from the Acoustical Society of America via EurekAlert! describes an intriguing project that integrates sophisticated visual and aural technologies to create a compelling place-based presence experience. For much more information including audio and video materials and a 15-slide presentation, see the project’s website. –Matthew] Seeing with your ears Novel acoustics project aims to improve virtual reality and explore ear shape effects on 3-D sound Acoustical Society of America WASHINGTON, D.C., June 25, 2017 — Paris’ Cathedral of Notre Dame has a ghost orchestra that is always performing, thanks to a sophisticated, multidisciplinary acoustics research project that will…

[Netflix is experimenting with interactive programming; here’s a key quote from the director of product innovation at Netflix: “The children’s programming space was a natural place for us to start since kids are eager to ‘play’ with their favorite characters and already inclined to tap, touch and swipe at screens. They also talk to their screens, as though the characters can hear them. Now, that conversation can be two-way.” This story is from The New York Times, where it features another image and the Netflix “Kids Interactive Adventure” trailer; for more details see coverage in The Verge. –Matthew] [Image: An…

[The debut of the 3D, interactive virtual tour of The Daily Show’s “Donald J. Trump Presidential Twitter Library” exhibit which was only open for a few days in New York City is notable on its own and also as an example of what may become an important trend: the creation of virtual versions of limited term, limited access, non-mediated experiences so that many more people over long periods of time can have (a version of) the experience. This short story is from CNN, where the original includes a photo gallery and the 0:31 minute exhibit welcome video. A similarly short…