[Presence isn’t investigated directly but clearly plays a role in a study by an impressive Harvard senior about how much and why people trust robots; context obviously matters and it’ll be important to investigate how the results change as robots become more commonplace. The story from Harvard University News features more images and a 2:04 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Serena Booth and her robot, Gaia, in its cookie-delivery disguise. (Photo by Adam Zewe/SEAS Communications.)] In automaton we trust Student examines the issue of over-trusting robotic systems By Adam Zewe May 25, 2016 If Hollywood is to be believed, there are…

[He doesn’t use the terms social presence, CASA or medium-as-social-actor presence, but this piece from the Shelly Palmer blog includes some interesting insights and questions about them (and some relevant science-fiction references). –Matthew] I’ve Talked to the Future and It Talked Back by Shelly Palmer May 21, 2016 I love Alexa, the Natural Language Processing (NLP) system in my Amazon Echo. She wakes me up every morning, she knows my schedule, she can control many of my z-wave and Zigbee compatible devices (switches, outlets, etc.), she can tell me the temperature and weather forecast, she can play any piece of…

[This story from SFGate describes what may become one of the most valued applications of presence technology, the recording of precious experiences and people; it also highlights the way applications are often discovered inadvertently. –Matthew] [Image: Ashley Scott and daughter Reese at the 8i studio.] Virtual reality archives memories By Benny Evangelista Friday, May 27, 2016 Virtual reality could become the archive of personal memories. From a new mom tearfully re-experiencing her infant daughter six months later, to Paul McCartney remembering what led him to write a hit song, virtual reality startups have uncovered how the new technology can store…

[This new telepresence robot – even though it’s just a torso and arms – is capable of impressively natural human movement and suggests another step toward rich social presence, including medium-as-social-actor presence. The video and images included with this story from Gizmag remind me of the interactions in the 2015 film Chappie, but of course those were created with special effects (see coverage in /Film). –Matthew] [Image: The hybrid robot playing patty cake (Credit: Disney Research)] New hybrid system gives robot arms human-like grace and precision David Szondy May 13, 2016 Disney Research has come up with a glockenspiel-playing robot…

[The legal justice system is another application area for presence; this story is from BBC News, where it features more images and a video. For more information see the Digital Forensic Archaeology Project page and coverage in The Wall Street Journal. –Matthew] [Image: Dr Caroline Sturdy Colls said jurors would be transported into a “virtual world”] Juries ‘could enter virtual crime scenes’ following research Virtual reality technology used in the gaming industry could be adapted to recreate crime scenes for juries, researchers have claimed. 24 May 2016 A Staffordshire University project has experimented with technology and techniques to “transport” jurors…

[Microsoft is working on a new ‘telepresence experience’ technology (will the use of the term ‘experience’ help clarify that presence is a property of the perceiver?). This story is from InAVate; the patent is available from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. –Matthew] Microsoft patents ‘telepresence experience’ Charlotte Ashley May 11, 2016 Microsoft continues to work on creating virtual environments that facilitate face-to-face communication with those who can’t make it to a meeting or gathering with it’s recently patented ‘telepresence experience.’ The patent details a system which appears to create the effect of talking through a glass to the other…