[Those who design and study presence-evoking technologies can be surprised by how users react to and use them; this story is from MIT Technology Review, where it includes an additional image. –Matthew] [Image: Netflix’s app for Samsung’s Gear VR headset lets you watch movies and TV in a virtual living room.] What’s Popular in Virtual Reality’s 3-D World? Netflix and TV. More people care about movies and shows than immersive 3-D games. by Tom Simonite September 15, 2016 Companies such as Samsung and Facebook’s Oculus promote their virtual-reality headsets by highlighting awe-inspiring 3-D experiences for gaming and virtual travel. But…

[Audiences around the world will be able to experience an upcoming champion level chess match in live-streamed 360-degree virtual reality; the coverage will be “up close and personal like never before allowing viewers to truly soak up the atmosphere” and “get into the minds of the players.” This story is from The Telegraph, where the original includes several more images, a video, and a profile of Magnus Carlsen. –Matthew] [Image: Virtual reality chess as seen on a smartphone Credit: World Chess] Cold War rivalries renewed as chess enters age of virtual reality By Leon Watson 12 September 201 When Bobby…

[Could neurofiction become a common way to experience stories (and presence)? This story from Wired describes a recent experiment using readers’ brain waves to determine story features, along with some other interesting ideas. The original includes the 9:50 minute audio podcast; for more on neurofiction see neurofiction.net. –Matthew] Books Would Be So Much Better if They Could Read Your Mind September 09, 2016 Hannu Rajaniemi is a science fiction author, a self-described “recovering string theorist,” and co-founder of the biotech startup Helix Nano. Recently he and his friend Sam Halliday got their hands on an EMOTIV Epoc headset—a very simple…

[This story from UCI News reports new evidence that telepresence can improve people’s lives; for more information about the research see the website of UCI’s Digital Learning Lab. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Steve Zylius / UCI] Robotic surrogates help chronically ill kids maintain social, academic ties at school UCI is first to conduct formal study of virtual inclusion for homebound students Irvine, Calif., Sept. 7, 2016 – Chronically ill, homebound children who use robotic surrogates to “attend” school feel more socially connected with their peers and more involved academically, according to a first-of-its-kind study by University of California, Irvine education researchers.…

[This story from MIT News describes a promising new way to evoke presence in video material. The original includes a 5:50 minute video and links to other press coverage. –Matthew] [Image: Source: interactivedynamicvideo.com] Reach in and touch objects in videos with “Interactive Dynamic Video” Technique from Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab could improve augmented reality and reduce the need for CGI green-screens. Adam Conner-Simons | Rachel Gordon | CSAIL August 2, 2016 We learn a lot about objects by manipulating them: poking, pushing, prodding, and then seeing how they react. We obviously can’t do that with videos — just…

[Another application area for VR and presence in the arts is ballet; this story is from Digital Trends, where it includes the navigable 8 minute video and a 1:39 minute behind-the-scenes video. –Matthew] [Image: Source: @robinrimbaud] You’ll be blown away by the world’s first virtual reality ballet experience By Luke Dormehl — September 7, 2016 When you picture the various use-cases that best fit virtual reality, ballet may not be the first you think of. Or the 10th, for that matter. But sometimes it’s a whole lot of fun being proved wrong, which is exactly what the Dutch National Opera & Ballet has…