[For VR and the presence experiences it creates to evolve, we need to figure out how to tell compelling stories in the new medium; production designer and founder of Virtual Reality Company Robert Stromberg provides insights about where we are and where we need to go in this story from Engadget (where it includes more images). –Matthew] [Image: A still from “The Martian VR Experience” (Image credit: Virtual Reality Company)] The struggle to adapt storytelling for virtual reality “We’re ready to tell stories but how do you do that in VR?” asks Oscar-winning art director Robert Stromberg. Mona Lalwani June…

[This story from Popular Science describes another way presence is being used to prepare athletes for competition, in this case for the triathlon at the Rio 2016 Olympics. –Matthew] [Image: Gwen Jorgesen, World Triathlon Series Champion. Original Photo by Charlie Crowhurst / Getty Images, Illustration by Graham Murdoch] Virtual Reality Training Turns Olympic Triathlon Course Into Motor Memory It helps to know the road before you go By Will Cockrell Posted June 21, 2016 Gwen Jorgensen’s secret training tool isn’t her $10,000 road bike—it’s her mind. As in when she kicks back and closes her eyes. “I use mental visualization…

[Could a mediated experience of our planet from space provide the same neurological and psychological effects as ‘being there’? This story from Wired suggests an interesting series of studies about presence, perception and human nature. For more on the Overview Effect, see the Overview Institute’s website. –Matthew] [Image: Getty Images] So You Think You Love Earth? Wait Until You See It in VR Sarah Scoles 06.21.16 In an ideal future, trips beyond the atmosphere are easy(ish) and cheap(ish). Humans will regularly slip the surly bonds of Earth, rocket up to inflatable space hotels, and stare out at space, up at…

[The creator of the robot Pepper (which some of us encountered during our ISPR-ICA conference trip in a Softbank store in Kyoto) is working on a new robot designed specifically to combat human loneliness; the story is from CNET, where it includes more images. A related story from The Wall Street Journal, “Too Cute for Their Own Good, Robots Get Self-Defense Instincts,” considers ways designers have to consider how people respond to robots in different contexts. –Matthew] [Image: Kaname Hayashi has observed that people tend to respond to Pepper by showing the robot physical affection. MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images] Man seeking…

[We’re back after a two-week break. Profound thanks to everyone who made the ISPR conference event “The Power of Presence: Using Telepresence Theory, Research and Applications to Enhance Mediated Communication Experiences in the 21st Century” in Kyoto, Japan a great success; information about how to access the official proceedings will appear here soon, as will information about our next conference event. For now, this story from Rolling Stone is a nice summary of ‘the story so far,’ including references to presence experiences in VR, that technology’s rocky history and its promise in several application areas, and a striking comment at…

[This story from Geek describes a novel presence experience that explores and demonstrates the complex interaction of the visual and aural senses. The story (lightly edited for typos here) includes more images, and the link at the end is to a New York Times story that includes a 12:09 minute video and more information. –Matthew] Virtual reality sim Notes on Blindness makes you feel like Daredevil By Charles Battersby Jun. 2, 2016 Superhero stories and urban legends say that blind people develop enhanced senses when they lose their vision. In the real world, it isn’t quite so simple. The subjective…